The Sky
by HouseofFlies
Summary: It's 1953, the year of the Queens Coronation. Years ago Isabelle was found on the street with on a pocket watch and the clothes on her back. But can she finally open her mind to what's been calling to her all this time after 10 years of staring up to the stars in confusion. 10/OC
1. The Idiot's Lantern Part 1

Isabelle hissed through her teeth, pulling her hand back with a bolt after the needle of the sewing machine lightly caught her finger. She had not been paying attention, not noticing her hand being drawn nearer and nearer to the sharp pin end as she attempted to repair the frays in the kitchen curtains. All this work just so the house would look nice for one silly day, she did not understand, it was not like the coronation would be taking place in her home. Tutting, Isabelle lifted her foot from the pedal and started rethreading the needle to continue to work.

The wireless was playing lightly in the background, it was some comedy show. Mrs Connolly, her mother and Tommy Connolly all sat behind her laughing along lightly with the voices. Gran was trying her best to munch on a toasted crumpet while mumbling all sorts of nonsense like all old people did. 'Chocolate will make you slow', 'electricity will be the end of us'. You had to laugh at her otherwise you'd go mad.

"He's a caution, that one! He does make me laugh." Rita Connelly chuckled under her breath with a wide smile on her face, but that grin soon dropped when the living room door opened and the man of the house entered. Eddie Connelly. He was a fierce man, with a wild temper and strict bossiness to go with it. Isabel saw the shell Rita would crawl into when he was around, she wouldn't be laughing at anything else this evening.

"Oh our lord and master." Gran quipped sarcastically from her place in the arm chair. Isabelle kept facing the window looking out into the storm, if she didn't move then maybe he wouldn't notice her.

"Rita, I'm off out." His heavy accent ran through the house, at the volume he spoke even the neighbours could probably hear.

Tommy, magazine in hand, turned in his seat on the sofa to call Eddie's attention to a certain inky page. "Dad."

"Oh, how many times, son? We'll see." Isabel did not know for sure what Tommy was showing his father but she could take a good guess as it seemed to be all anyone was talking about these days, especially the children.

"But everyone's getting a telly, dad." Tommy sighed. "Even Mister Gallagher, and the Bells at number sixty seven."

"Well, perhaps we'll get one for the Coronation. If you're lucky. We'll see." That made the young boy smile and turn back to listen to the radio. But the lack of noise coming from the sewing machine still seemed to catch the mans attention as he looked over and glared hard into Isabelle's back. It seemed that even when she was silent she was a problem. "As for you girl." Her body tensed and slowly, Isabelle removed her hand from the machine and turned making sure not to dare meet his eyes.

"Yes sir?" She whispered almost as the rest of the family tried to ignore what was happening around them.

"I did not let you into this house so you could sit and stare into space for all the days." Eddie continued to shout like she was one of his troops. "Sitting in that chair, looking out that window...that's all you have ever seemed to do since you got here. Nothing's there."

"Sorry sir...it...it won't happen again sir." She turned back to her work and pushed down on the pedal with her foot again, sending the needle into a slow pace.

"Don't wait up." That was the last thing Eddie Connelly said before leaving the house and leaving them all in peace.

"I heard they rot your brains. Rot them into soup, and your brain comes pouring out of your ears. That's what television does." Gran spoke to her grandson but Isabelle wasn't listening, she was too busy thinking. About what? She didn't even know, but what Mr Connelly had said was true, she did always sit by this window staring up at the sky. She was drawn to the stars, every night looking up as if she was waiting for something. They were just so beautiful, there was so much mystery behind them all...she couldn't put her finger on it, they were...magical.

But never the less she had work to do, she could dream later once she was out of Eddie Connelly's bad books.

That night, Isabelle was sat alone in her room, in the attic to be more precise. It was late or it could also be said that it was very very early but she had been awoken by a nightmare. A nightmare which had came from a dream. She had been falling through the stars, so close to Suns and Planets that when she reached out her hand she could almost touch their surface. She felt the warmth on her skin but nothing else, there as no air to breath but there was no panic, just calm. Then there had been a noise, unlike any other she had ever heard, a humming whine. Nothing was there to see, but there was a noise. After that, there was a flash behind her eyes and she was stood in a long hallway. A never ending hallway. But she wasn't alone. There was something in the shadows but before she could see what it was, the walls began to fall around her. They turned into rubble surrounding her and flames began to rise. They surrounded her and that was when she did begin to choke, trapped, there was no way out and then the screams started. That was when she would awaken, her breathing heavy and a thin layer of sweat on her brow.

But she would still write it down while the dream was still fresh in her memory. Words describing each and every detail she could recall no matter how small. She would try to sketch what she had seen, not that they turned out to be very good but it would do. By now she was half way through a small notebook, drawings of twisted faces and strange life forms covering the pages. Some figures even made out of tin and obscure object. However the odd few were people. Men and women, none of them really had an image that she could remember once she awoke but in her dream they seemed so clear and real...

A noise from under her made her jump and Isabelle slammed her notebook shut, stuffing it under her pillow before climbing back in bed and closing her eyes. There was no time for dreaming even at night it seemed, one single noise from her and they would bring it up in the morning, Mr Connelly scolding her for her not being rested for the day's work.

Closing her eyes, Isabelle slowly drifted back off to sleep, the images returning in front of her eyes like they always did.

"What is it? What's wrong?" The commotion from the front room had cause Isabelle to come running from the yard where she had been scrubbing clothes in the basin. She had heard Rita screaming and crying, Tommy calling for his Gran with what could only be described as fear and Eddie yelling at the top of his lungs. When Isabelle reached the living room, Mr Connelly turned and blocked her path straight away.

"Never mind you girl, this is none of your business!" He yelled in her face, pointing a finger back in the direction from where she had come from. "This is my family and you do not need to be involved, now go!"

Isabelle backed away a few steps but before she could remove herself completely, Rita's mother screamed and pulled her mother to the stairs under Eddie's orders. Before they got out of sight and as they all cried in terror, Isabelle's eyes fell on what was causing such distress.

"Mrs..." Isabelle trailed off in a whisper, unable to say the words as a hand came up to cover her mouth. Her face had gone, Mrs Connelly's face had just gone. There was nothing. Just a smooth plate of skin where everything should have been.

"Oi! What did I tell you?" Mr Connelly screamed in her face again, this time pushing her forcefully away. "Get out! GET OUT!" He turned her harshly and pushed her back into the kitchen, his eyes angrier than they had ever been. "And not a word of this to anyone! You hear! No one!" Isabelle could only nod before running back out to the yard, trying to erase the image she had just seen. Nothing had been the same in the past two months around here, and things were only getting stranger.

"We love Muffin, everybody sing. We want Muffin the Mule. Hello." The woman on the TV sang. Isabelle sat by the window, watching the goings on outside. While the rest of the family sat watching television with unreadable faces. It had been a week or so since the incident...and yet no one had talked about it, at least not to her.

"Smashing." Mr Connelly shook his head as he stood from the sofa. "Smashing, innit? You'd have thought they was in the room with you, eh?" He spoke mostly to his wife but she didn't even look at him. "Fair do's Tommy, you had a point. New television. There, that should cheer you up a bit, Rita. Give us a smile, then, eh?" Finally Mrs Connelly looked up to her husband with sadness.

"I can't. Nothing's the same any more, not with her..." She trailed off, her hands began to twist around each other.

"Stop going on about it." That was all they ever said about it. All they ever said was to stay quiet.

"But her face, Eddie. What happened to her? That awful face." It was truly awful...Isabelle still could only see that, it kept her from sleeping some nights, as well as the banging which would carry on throughout the night under her.

"I said, stop it!" Mr Connelly warned. Then three solid knocks sounded on the ceiling. They were loud, unable to be ignored. Isabelle closed her eyes as the haunting noise knocked into her head.

"She's awake. I think she's hungry." That was the last that was said on the matter as Mr Connelly sat back down and turned the volume up on the television.

But then there was shouting, out in the street. When Isabelle opened her eyes, she peered outside the window and saw a black car out in the street in front of the Gallagher's house. Her brow creased, it couldn't have been happening again. Before she could even think about what she was doing, Isabelle jumped up from her seat and ran out of the front door into the street.

"Isabelle!" Someone yelled after her but she didn't stop.

"Someone help me, please! Ted!" Mrs Gallagher was screaming as two men escorted someone to the car, she had to go from what she was saying to know it was the woman's husband as the figure had a blanket thrown over their head. "Leave him alone! He's my husband! Please."

"What's going on?" An unfamiliar voice sounded behind her, as Isabelle turned she saw a man stood there in a brown suit. Next to him stood a blonde girl, wearing a big puffy pink skirt. They didn't look like they were from this street but there was no time to think about that.

"Oi, what are you doing?" Tommy yelled out, obviously having ran out the house behind her.

"Who did they take? Do you know him?" The unrecognised woman spoke out.

"Mister Gallagher." Isabelle spoke not much louder than a whisper.

"It's happening all over the place." Tommy followed on, but his eyes followed the car which was speeding away. Isabelle however turned and looked at the couple, firstly the man. She studied his face and then looked in his eyes. He was staring back at her, and the moment they locked eyes her head exploded with pain. Black spots appeared in front of her eyes, her head dropping. It was like she was being burned from the inside. "They're turning into monsters."

"Are you alright Miss?" She heard someone ask before a feather light touch grazed her arm.

'Time lord...TARDIS...the Time War Time War Time Lord.'

Isabelle took a sharp intake of breath and jumped back, looking up to see it was the man who had touched her. The voices faded away as soon as they seemed to loose contact, gone so quick they could have not been there at all. But she was sure, she...was sure.

"Are you alright?" The man frowned, his eyes bearing down on her in thought.

"Yes...I'm sorry sir. Just the shock of it all...I'm sorry." Before Isabelle could go on, Mr Connelly yelled out from where he was stood in the doorway to the house.

"Tommy! Not one word! Get inside now!"

"I'm Sorry once again sir." She spoke, avoiding his eyes. "I'd better do as he says." Without another glance behind her, she ran into the house and up to her room.


	2. The Idiot's Lantern Part 2

Isabelle had been in her room working for hours on making the final decorations for the coronation. All the while she had been thinking back over the words some...thing...had spoken to her. That's what it had to be, just herself right? A side effect of the headache, all the stress was getting to her. Not to mention the fear of what was happening all around her.

She was just climbing down from the attic when she heard Mr Connelly scolding Tommy.

"Don't think I've finished with you." Mr Connelly hissed and turned to see Isabelle stood behind him. "And you! Downstairs, both of you!" They both followed the man of the house down the stairs and into the living room, or the television room as most people were now calling it.

"All the warnings I've given you, and every time, every time, you disobey me." He started to yell, standing up, a regular trick he used to intimidate them.

"We can't just lock her away." The young boy spoke up in defence of his gran.

"Excuse me, sunshine. I am talking." He spat in the young boys face. This was no way for a father to treat his family, not that she'd know exactly but...she felt it. "You can forget that college nonsense. You're going to come and work alongside me. Get your hands dirty for once." Another thump sounded from above them.

"Oh lord, won't she ever stop?" The sounds were sending Mrs Connelly into madness. To first see her mother like that and then be told to just ignore it, Isabelle could only imagine what was going on inside her head.

"There, there, Rita, my sweet. Business as usual. Now let's get these up all over the house in honour of her Majesty." He spoke referring the the flags hanging from the table Isabelle normally sat at.

"But Eddie, what if she's dying?" Rita panicked. All the woman wanted was comfort from her husband but it never came. Instead she received cold eyes and anger.

"I am talking!" Isabelle had learnt the hard way but she had learned none the less. Be silent. "That's better. A little bit of hush." Thankfully the doorbell interrupted Mr Connelly and without another word, he went to answer the door. Briefly, Rita looked to Isabelle and all the younger woman could do was smile reassuringly.

"Not bad. Very nice. Very well kept." The same man from the street commented rather forwardly as he walked into their living room. Who was this man? And who was the girl? "I'd like to congratulate you, Mrs?"

"Connolly." Rita answered quietly.

"Now then, Rita. I can handle this. This gentleman's a proper representative. Don't mind the wife, she rattles on a bit." Mr Connelly butted in.

"Well, maybe she should rattle on a bit more. I'm not convinced you're doing your patriotic duty. Nice flags. Why are they not flying?" The man asked. He was the first person Isabelle had ever seen talk to Eddie in that way.

"There we are Rita, I told you to get the girl to do it!" He growled almost, glaring at Isabelle. "Get them up. Queen and country." Isabelle stood briskly and started gathering the flags in her hands.

"I'm sorry sir." She whispered to Mr Connelly. "Sir." This time to the mysterious man who seemed to be running their household now.

"Get it done. Do it now." Isabelle moved faster, not noticing how the mans eyes were watching her the entire time.

"Hold on a minute." He said and reached out to push the girls hands down and away from the flags.

'Time Lord. Time War. Darleks. Time War. Doctor.'

There was less pain this time but she still jumped slightly and felt her heart stop for the brief second her skin made contact with him. This time however, he seemed to jump back as well as if being burned by her.

"I'm sorry sir, you startled me is all." Isabelle rushed out, trying hard to stabilise her breathing, looking down at the table and away from the mans questioning stare.

"Ignore the girl, she's not right in the head I say. Always daydreaming." Mr Connelly laughed slightly.

"I wouldn't say that was any way to talk about your own daughter." The girl who was with the man spoke with a slight sourness in her tone.

"Haha! Her? My daughter? By heavens no!" Mr Connelly laughed cruelty at the accusation. "Nothing but a street rat that girl, I brought her in through the kindness of my heart. 10 years ago, my wife always wanted a daughter you see sir, mind she's as useless as a hat stand. Just standing there watching the stars go by." Isabelle would be lying if she said his words didn't hurt. He was right, 10 years she had been there with them and yet she still felt like a stranger.

The man and girl only stared at Mr Connelly in silence for a short while before both turned their attention to the young woman, appearing to be in her thirties.

"Tell me what is your name Miss...?" The man trailed off and waited for her to answer.

"Isabelle...I...I'm not sure of my surname." She spoke, both visitors finding it difficult to hear her properly.

"Isabelle, nice name. And where did you come from? London?"

"I erm...I don't exactly...I can't..." She struggled to answer, her mind seemingly going fuzzy like static when she tried to recall the name. "I'm sorry, I am foolish."

"No no, that's alright." The man hummed, almost as quietly as her as he continued to study her. "Don't worry about it."

"Like the gentleman says." Mr Connelly spoke up again, seeming very annoyed. "Now get on with it girl!"

"Hold on a minute. You've got hands, Mister Connolly. Two big hands. So why is that Isabelle's job?"

"Well, it's housework, innit?" He tried to explain with very little success. The argument between the two went on for quite some time but Isabelle wasn't listening, too busy thinking about the voices that had returned inside her head and the fact that a complete stranger was sticking up for her.

The girl then commanded Eddie, bringing Isabelle back to the real world. "Well, don't get it wrong again, there's a good man. Now get to it!"

"Right then! Nice and comfy, at Her Majesty's leisure." The man grinned and moved over to the sofa and the two of them both sat down. "I'm the Doctor and this is Rose, and you are?" The man focused on the young boy.

'Doctor? But...' Isabelle's eyes went wide as she thought. A doctor? That's what she had just heard...wasn't it?

"Tommy." He answered, still watching his father follow their orders.

"Well, sit yourself down, Tommy. Have a look at this. I love telly, don't you?"

"Yeah, I think it's brilliant."

"Good man!" The Doctor smiled but his eyes found the young woman again. "And what about you Miss Isabelle? Like a bit of telly?" She looked shocked by the recognition of her presence and stuttered a bit.

"Oh, I don't really get the time to watch it sir." She smiled slightly, forcing it.

"Keep working, Mister C!" The man yelled, almost in reply to her comment. "Now, why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

"Did you say you were a doctor?" Rita spoke in fear.

"Yes, I am."

"Can you help her? Oh please, can you help her, Doctor?" Close to begging, tears began to fall from the older woman's eyes as the grief hit her.

"Now then, Rita. I don't think the gentleman needs to know." Mr Connelly tutted nervously.

"No, the gentleman does." The Doctor quipped back, his face looking more serious than ever.

"Tell us what's wrong, and we can help." This time she spoke up to the younger woman, smiling at her kindly.

"Hold on a minute. Queen and country's one thing, but this is my house! What the?" He finally realised he wasn't being the big man anymore and threw the bunting down. "What the hell am I doing? Now you listen here, Doctor. You may have fancy qualifications, but what goes on under my roof is my business."

"A lot of people are being bundled into-" Tommy started to speak before he was cut off.

"I am talking!"

"And I'm not listening!" His voice made Isabelle jump as the doctor leapt from his seat. "Now you, Mister Connolly, you are staring into a deep, dark pit of trouble if you don't let me help. So I'm ordering you, sir! Tell me what's going on!" Suddenly the thumping started again from upstairs.

"She won't stop. She never stops." Mr Connelly finally spoke.

"We started hearing stories, all round the place." Isabelle spoke finally, no longer feeling threatened or scared to talk now that man and his Rose where there. "People who've changed. Families keeping it secret because they were scared." She looked at the Doctor directly then, ignoring the pain which started to seep into the back of her head when he looked back at her. "Then the police started finding out. We don't know how, no one does. They just turn up, come to the door and take them, any time of the day or night." He looked at her for a short while, eyes softer but still deadly serious.

"Show me."

The family left the room with the Doctor and Rose following close behind, but Isabelle stayed put. It wasn't her grandmother, she had no place going up there, so she stayed put and continued hanging up the flags which Mr Connelly had thrown to the floor. It was all calm again finally, until the front door got knocked open and two men came rushing in.

"Oi! Who are you?" She shouted after them but they just ignored her and ran up the stairs. Only moments later they retreated, this time taking Gran with them, the upper half of her body wrapped in a blanket. Mrs Connelly followed, screaming after them.

"Don't fight it. Back inside." Mr Connelly pulled his wife back into the house as the Doctor and Rose ran past a few seconds later. However Rose stopped and her eyes fixed on the wall behind Isabelle. Growing interested, she too turned to see what the girl was looking at and jumped when she saw the red...what looked to be lightening coming out from the television.

"Don't...you..." Isabelle tried to speak out when the girl stepped forward and walked over to the TV. "You don't know if it will hurt you." Rose ignored her and looked behind the TV, pulling it out a bit.

"You! Get the hell out of my house!" Mr Connelly screamed once he slammed the front door shut behind his wife and son.

"I'm going. I'm done. Nice to meet you, Tommy, Mrs Connolly, Isabelle. And as for you, Mister Connolly, only an idiot hangs the Union Flag upside down. Shame on you!" Then the girl ran out the house and by the time Isabelle turned back, the red lights had disappeared.

It was the day of the Coronation. They had yet to see the Doctor again since last night and nothing else had been heard about the matter at all. In fact it was like it had never happened as guests started arriving at the Connelly's house.

"You've had your fun with your little Doctor, but now you're left with me, Rita. So you'll behave yourself and smile." Isabelle heard Mr Connelly warning his wife as she walked through from the kitchen with a tray of juice.

"Pop?" Isabelle forced a bright smile as guests smiled and thanked her. "You're welcome."

"Here we go, everyone. Here we go. Grub's up, grub's up. Tuck in, everyone. Tuck in. Take a sandwich. Oh, here we go, here we go, it's started. Look, look. Take your places. Sit down, sit down. That's it. There we are." Mr Connelly rushed around everyone before taking his own seat, Isabelle simply stayed standing at the back of the room out of the way.

"The East front of the palace on which all eyes are..." The television sounded.

"Rita, love. Just look at that telly box then. Ee, innit marvellous. The picture's so clear." One of the guests commented and a few moments later the doorbell rang, jolting Isabelle's attention.

"Get that Isabelle, we don't want to miss any!" Mr Connelly ordered and the girl quickly walked to the door.

"Doctor?" She spoke as soon as she saw who stood on the other side of the door.

"Isabelle, talk to me. I need to know exactly what happened inside your house." Before she could even think of an answer for his sudden question the door was opened further violently.

"What the blazes do you think you're doing?" Eddie asked in anger.

"I want to help." Isabelle whispered.

"Mister Connolly-"

"Shut your face, you, whoever you are. We can handle this ourselves." Eddie spoke to the Doctor before turning to her. "Listen, you little twerp. You're hardly a respected woman, so I don't expect you to understand. But I've got a position to maintain. People round here respect me. It matters what people think."

"Is that why you did it, then?" She spoke louder and with a frown. It all made sense now. "You ratted on Mrs Connelly's mother. How else would the police know where to look, unless some coward told them." Thats all he was, she didn't know where her sudden courage was coming from, but it felt good to finally be able to talk for herself.

"How dare you! Do you think I fought a war just so a mouthy little scum like you could call me a coward?"

"You don't get it, do you?" Tommy spoke this time, coming outside. "You fought against fascism, remember? People telling you how to live, who you could be friends with, who you could fall in love with, who could live and who had to die. Don't you get it? You were fighting so that little twerps like me could do what we want, say what we want. Now you've become just like them. You've been informing on everyone, haven't you? Even Gran. All to protect your precious reputation."

"Eddie is that true?" Mrs Connelly gasped.

"I did it for us, Rita. She was filthy. A filthy, disgusting thing!" It hurt all of them to hear him say such things.

"She's my mother. All the others you informed on, all the people in our street, our friends."

"I had to. I, I did the right thing." Eddie stuttered, his guilt forming behind his eyes. Isabelle could see it.

"The right thing for us or for you, Eddie? You go, Tommy. Go with the Doctor and do some good. Get away from this house, it's poison. We had a ruddy monster under this roof, all right, but it weren't my mother!" Before Isabelle could say anything, Rita pulled her back inside the house and slammed the door in Eddie's face.

"Rita!" They both heard him call through the door.

"I'm sorry, for everything Isabelle." Mrs Connelly apologised. The younger woman's eyes widened in shock before she spoke, her smile turning out genuine this time.

"Oh..no worries Mrs Connelly...it wasn't...it wasn't your fault." The older woman just smiled before going back into the living room to join her guests.

"Oh, it's my grandson, Oh, son!" Isabelle heard a far too familiar voice say from outside in the front yard...but it couldn't be. Racing outside, she shouted of Rita on her way and flung the door open, grinning wide when she saw Tommy's gran outside, looking as if nothing had ever happened.

"Isabelle! I never thought I'd be glad to see you this much dear!" Isabelle could only laugh before embracing the old woman. And after pulling back, there was an overwhelming happiness within her as she saw people returning to their families. Looking into the road, she soon spotted the Doctor and Rose, stood watching them with wide smiles, she could only return the smile before heading back inside the house.

"Come on then, we have a party to prepare for!" Rita laughed and brought her mother inside as well .

It seemed like hours later, but the party was still in full swing and the sun was still shining down on them. She watched as children danced and laughed and the adults smiled and gossiped, seemingly having no worries in the world. But Isabelle still had them. There was no one for her to talk to, no one had even said a single word to her throughout the whole partly apart from Mrs Connelly. She could shake the feeling of being alone, she'd felt that her whole life, like she was the only single person like herself...no one else that was like her in any way.

As she stood pouring drinks, Isabelle felt a figure stop beside her silently. Looking up, her head rang in pain again as her eyes met the doctors brown orbs. She looked down again instantly until she heard him speak.

"Not in the party spirit?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he leant back resting on the table.

"Erm..." She glanced at him briefly, noticing for the first time how tall he was but also how small his build was. "Not exactly, a lot to take in I'm sure you understand."

"Oh of course, I mean, it's been quite a day." Silence fell between them after he spoke but he continued watching her, studying her. "Are you going to be alright? Here I mean? With that family?"

"Of course...now Mr Connelly has left. Maybe I'll actually feel like I live in that house." Isabelle smiled truly and looked at the doctor. "Thank you Doctor, for whatever you did. Something tells me it was you who brought them all back home." The man just nodded with a small smirk on his lips, then suddenly took a large intake of breath.

"That man, Mr Connelly...he said you were fond of the stars." She was surprised he remembered such a small random detail, so surprised in fact that she stared up at him wide eyes without thinking and was punished for it with a jolt to her head. It was so very strange that that kept happening...but it was stress that was all.

"I suppose, although I do not know much about them. Just that they...well..."

"What?" The Doctor tried to tempt it out of her when she fell quiet.

"You will think I'm an idiot. But I..." She paused but the Doctor stayed listening. "I sometimes feel as if they are calling to me, as if there's something out there calling my name. And if I watch them just long enough, it almost feels...well...it almost begins to feel as if I'm sat looking for them, waiting." She looked at the Doctors expression and smiled when she saw him looking down at her amused. "You think I'm mad!"

"No not at all no." The Doctor smiled and shook his head.

"I have dreams about them sometimes even. About unexplainable things. Creatures almost, creatures which are like tin cans and wonder around...a box as well." She noticed the Doctor frown when she said that. "Not a box actually but a..a room. And it's alive. I can talk to it and it understands and takes me anywhere I wish. The Time..." She stopped herself and watched the doctor carefully, forcing herself to push the pain away. "If I were to say something..would you not judge me?" She didn't know why she was telling him all this, but for the first time in her life someone actually sounded interested.

"No. You can say whatever you wish. Believe me I've probably said worse." He joked with a smile.

"Very well Doctor but...it seems as if every time you are close and look at me. Something is trying to get into my head. It burns and hurts but only when I meet your eyes and then when you touched my the other day, I heard things." The doctor tried to hide his shock as he nodded for her to continue. "It keeps, I keep hearing...Time War or something like that anyway. The Time War? Time Lord. Time War. It swirls around my head ever so quick I-" she was cut of as the Doctor suddenly stood straight and pulled out a pair of glasses, putting them on.

"Where have you heard that? Have you heard it somewhere before." Isabelle was surprised and took a step back from the Doctor as his eyes snapped over her full being.

"No! Just then when you touched me those two times." She spoke quickly and the doctor seemed to calm but his brow stayed furrowed, looking overly confused. "I'm sorry, I have offended you?"

"No...no Isabelle. Tell me though, how did you end up with the Connelly family?" He asked.

"They found me on the street sir just like Mr Connelly told you. They took me in, saying they needed help looking after Tommy who was only a baby and with the house work. I accepted not knowing any better." Isabelle shrugged her shoulders. "They always used to tease me about it, saying I was thicker than a mouse and I owned less than an alley cat. I didn't know who I was or where I was from...didn't know what I could do and what I liked. All I had on me when I moved in was the clothes I was wearing and a stupid old fob watch that didn't even work." The Doctor's eyes suddenly snapped up to her, emotion running through them so strong she could see each of them. Fear. Excitement. Shock. Due to what she didn't know but he was suddenly very on edge. "Is something wrong Doctor?"


	3. Awakening

"That watch? Where is it now?" His words were slow and serious, quiet but very hard. It almost scared Isabelle.

"The fob watch? In my room in the attic I'm sure. Just lying there. Why?" Without another word, the Doctor took off running towards her house, flying straight through the front door. He acted so suddenly, Isabelle jumped and hesitated before actually running off after him. She guessed where he was going and ran up the stairs as fast as she could, seeing the ladder to the attic already pulled down, and climbing the steps carefully.

"Hey, excuse me sir!" Isabelle called out when she saw the man going through her things without a care. "What are you doing? This is my room!"

"Where is the watch?" Rolling her eyes when she didn't get an answer, Isabelle walked over to a small table by her bedside and pulled open the top draw. She lifted the watch out and held it in her hand while the Doctor stilled.

"Here, I don't know why it is so important." Isabelle whispered, seeing the mans eyes racing. "Are you some sort of collector? Is it valuable?"

"You said you were found with this watch?" He asked, but she only nodded. "Have you ever opened it?"

"No it's broken, I told you it didn't even work when I came here 10 years ago." Isabelle frowned.

"How do you know it's broken if you've never opened it?" He questioned, looking up and meeting her eyes. There was something there behind his eyes as if he was silently asking her something. He looked slightly desperate as his hand reached out and took the watch from her grip. The markings on the side seemed to capture his attention more than anything, but they were just strange scratchings engraved on the watch, they didn't mean anything to her.

"I don't...it's just broken you can't hear anything. And it...it's old and ..." Her head started to pulse harder as she looked at the Doctor. Her knees give way, but before she could hit the floor, the Doctor leapt forward and caught her, holding her up.

'Time Lord. Doctor. Save Them. Time War. The Last One. Time War. Doctor.'

"Doctor? You're the Doctor?" She muttered breathlessly, staring up at him. "Who are you? Why? Why are you in my head?"

"How old are you?" The Doctor asked, looking over her face.

"I...don't know...I don't know." She shook her head as tears began to fall from her eyes. There was no reason for them, nothing had happened and everything was over now, all the families had returned but something was still wrong with her. "I guess...30...40...I'm sorry Doctor I really do not remember."

"I think Isabelle..." The Doctor started but paused. "You should hold the watch and listen, see if it really is broken." She didn't understand, but gently, she reached out and went to take the watch from the man. Her fingers brushed the watch, but then they softly touched his hand as well and Isabelle and the Doctor both simultaneously gasped.

She could see it all in front of her eyes. Herself waiting by the door to a house, a very unusual house. She was waiting for something...for someone. Then there was a child, children all around her laughing. Older adults as well, all seeming to laugh around her as she tried to be a good hostess. Then the laughs all turned to screams and the walls began to collapse, fire was all around. She was running, running across the rubble. Then it went black.

The Doctor let go before she did and his eyes bore into hers, he looked upset, his eyes glassy and cold. Had he seen it too, just then? Had he seen what was in her head. Not thinking about it anymore, she took the watch away from him and held it again, listening closely.

'Open me. Let me out. He's back, he found you. She can return. Open the watch...the Doctor returns. Please, open the watch'

"It's speaking to me, but it can't be! It can't!" Isabelle stood, dropping the watch down onto the bed and turning to the doctor. "Who are you!"

"It can, it's possible. Everything's possible." The Doctor whispered, standing with her and holding her by the shoulders. "And I'm the Doctor, I...I'm a Time Lord. It's a hard thing to explain but I'm not human, I come from Gallifrey." He smiled when her face changed and she looked up to him, a smile showing itself for a second before it disappeared.

"It sounds familiar. Irish?" He began to laugh at her question and could only begin to shake his head slowly.

"Oh no." Isabelle watched his smile, it was warm. He was handsome, this Doctor. But not in the sense of her time, it was like he was from a different time or at least a place which accepted his and that other girls fashion style. "A little further than that." He watched her for a few moments. The way she flinched as the door downstairs slammed. The way her eyes kept glancing about, waiting to be scolded. She didn't look happy and the doctor knew what happy looked like, and he could see sadness in her. "You're not happy here?" Isabelle shrugged her shoulders.

"As I said, it will hopefully be much better now Mr Connelly has left." Shyness, she was such a shy girl. But he knew, if his suspicions were right then there was a completely different person hiding inside that watch. He didn't know who exactly but he had to ease her into it, she was after all a human at this point. Not only that but he had to ease himself into it, he couldn't get too eager or excited at the idea of another Time Lord hiding from existence within that watch. He couldn't let himself believe he wasn't the only one until it was there and the proof was in front of him.

"But you still don't feel right? You've never felt like you have fit in have you? All you can remember is feeling like you weren't the same, like you didn't fit in. Like...like you were the only one?" The Doctor rambled but it hit her like a tone of bricks.

"Exactly. It's like no one sees me either. I just exist." Walking around the bed, she took the notebook out from under her pillow and held it out to the doctor with slight hesitation. "It's my diary. I write down what I dream or at least what I remember of them. And things that come to me." The Doctor took it, never taking his eyes off Isabelle, and then began flicking through the pages, adjusting the way his glasses sat on his nose every few seconds. "It's strange. I'm boring in reality, it seems I only become interesting in my dreams." She forced a chuckle as the Doctor stopped on one particular page.

"I think Isabelle, that you should come with me." He seemed to sigh through his teeth and picked up the watch, putting in his coat pocket as well as the diary.

"What? Where to?"

"Oh, just around the corner. Nothing to worry about, I'll have you back home before the party's over." The Doctor walked over to the ladder which would take him down to the second floor of the house. "So what do you say?" She didn't say anything, just followed him in silence.

They walked out of the house and half way down the street, that was when Rose joined them as she began walking by the Doctors side while Isabelle stayed slightly behind the both of them. The girl kept asking questions to the Doctor, wanting to know what was going on and where they were going. He didn't say anything much, or if he did Isabelle wouldn't hear. It took a while of walking down a couple of other streets, the Doctor turning and grabbing her hand half way through the journey and squeezing it just enough to reassure her. Her heart had began to beat faster and it almost shattered completely when they turned into an alley and it stood there.

"The box." The words fell from her mouth. A blue police box stood in front of the three of them.

"You know about the TARDIS?" Rose asked, her face twisting unpleasantly.

"Rose." Shaking his head after the Doctor caught her attention, she silenced, allowing the Doctor to turn to her. "You recognise it?"

"Yes but...I've never seen it I just..." She trailed off not really being able to explain it and put a hand to her head as it pulsed with pain.

"That's alright." He put a hand on the girls shoulder and guided her forward towards the TARDIS. He unlocked the door as Isabelle ran her eyes over the small details such as the out of date poster and the phone hatch on the side of the box. But then her eyes snapped forward when the door was pushed open and she was allowed to enter first.

"What...it's impossible." It was almost identical, apart from a few changes here and there. It was a large room, a very strange and large electrical room with a column planted right in the centre of it, a board of controls surrounding it and wrapping around the glowing point of focus. There were weird columns around the rest of the room as supports beams, all lit up. The floor just metal grates that clinked under her feet no matter how light she walked. The size of the room didn't surprise her although something was screaming inside her head that she should be, it was the whole box that surprised her instead.

She took off running suddenly, over to the controls and the Doctor was soon behind her. Never interfering, only observing. Isabelle ran her fingers over all of the buttons and levers, but taking care to be careful so that nothing was pressed that shouldn't be pressed.

'TARDIS...TIME...SPACE...Doctor...Start the TARDIS'

"Doctor?" She whispered breathlessly. "What is this?"

"This is the TARDIS. Stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space. It's my ship technically, to travel in. I can travel in time...to any time past or future and in space to any planet in existence." Isabelle's eyes turned glassy again as she looked up to the Doctor.

"Tell the truth." She chuckled and they both laughed together for the first time. "Honestly? So if I named a star? Then you could-"

"Right now, just say the word." The Doctor nodded, and although he was smiling at her she knew he was deadly serious. Isabelle smiled but then noticed Rose stood by the door of the box, looking at her.

"No, I believe you. But...why did you bring me here?" Her eyes left the Doctor as they explored the room. A light humming could be heard ever since the Doctor had stepped aboard, keeping a well timed rhythm as the centre column began to glow. She was dreaming, she had to be dreaming.

"To see if you'd remember anything." He answered slowly. "How would you feel about opening this?" Taking the fob watch out of his pocket, he threw it to her which she caught and felt a strong storm break into her head ready to swirl around her thoughts in pain.

'Open the watch. Live again. He's back. Open the watch'

Her face visibly dropped and twisted, the Doctor already knew why, the voice was right though. She didn't belong here and it was time to return. No matter who she would turn out to be, it was time.

"Open the watch Isabelle." He spoke.

"Why?" Beginning to get defensive, she dropped her arm and let the watch hang by her side. "What is all this? I don't understand!" The Doctor took a step forward but stopped, he was trying so hard to contain himself. Contain the fear but overwhelming excitement that was building in him, as all the evidence led to it being true. But she was starting to become stressed just like he knew she would and he had to get her to open that watch.

"I know, I know. I know more than anyone how strange this all is. But trust me Isabelle, there is more to you...so much more. It's nothing to be afraid of, but the watch calls to you. It wants to be opened." Even though he tried to explain to her and calm her, none of it made any sense still.

Isabelle looked down at the watch again and listened as a voice whispered to her. All these words, all those things that she didn't know. Where they meant to make sense? Maybe this wasn't meant for her, maybe it was meant for another. Another who was smarter and better and knew things. "They want to be released...they...she-" she changed her words when the voice became clearer, it was a woman. "She wants to wake up."

"Then awaken her." His face didn't change apart from an eyebrow raising slightly as he spoke. The Doctor still looked on a borderline between sad and happy, his lips were turned up in a small smile but his eyes looked sad and that's what scared her.

"What will happen? Will...it's me isn't it?" It was like a penny dropping in her head. "Whatever is in here talking, it's going to go into me isn't it? I'm going to..." Isabelle couldn't bring herself to finish what she knew.

"No, you'll still be there somewhere. But you'll be so much more." The Doctor watched as she stared hard at the watch, her slender fingers playing with it, going over the engravings. Isabelle looked up to him smiling for only a second before she nodded and smiled. Then suddenly she flicked open the watch and unleashed the golden light into the air.

"What's that? Whats happening?" Rose rushed forward to stand next to the Doctor who outstretched a hand to keep her back. "She looks like you when your were...regenerating."

"She's a Time Lord...well Time Lady technically speaking. But technicality isn't important. This is real." He whispered, unable to take his eyes of the woman's glowing form.

"But I thought you said you were the last. That they were all dead?" Rose frowned.

The Doctor nodded but couldn't help but grin when he felt a gentle hum in the back of his head as she started to return to Time Lord form. "I thought I was but obviously one has been in hiding."

"In a watch?" Rose scoffed but got no reply. "Do you know her?" The question came but it was a hard one to answer.

"Not now, she's put herself into a human form. That's why I couldn't feel them, before in my head." He spoke and tapped his temple with one finger. "I don't recognise her but she could have regenerated, I'll only know when..." The Doctor failed to finish as the watch fell to the floor and the golden mist faded away, leaving only a woman stood there. It was the same woman, same dark brown hair falling a few inches below her shoulders, the same deep hazel eyes peering at both of them, the same pale skin. But she already held herself differently as her head fell to look down over herself.

But the Doctor was speechless. It couldn't be. There must have been some mixed signal somehow from the watch because...it was impossible. It couldn't be her, it just couldn't. She was dead, he'd left her on that planet...he knew he had because for each day since then he tortured himself for doing so.

His eyes turned glossy within seconds and Rose noticed but stepped back, letting him have this. Just as a tear left the corner of his eye, leaving a trail down his cheek, The Doctor summoned the courage and held on to that buzz in the back of his head for just a second, never taking his eyes off the woman.

'Lelia?' He reached out in his head, his lips slightly parted as his eyes searched her hopelessly.

Her head snapped up in a split second. Eyes running over The Doctor instantly in fear. She looked scared of her own thoughts and scared of him, watching him as if he was a ghost. Her breathing was rapid and hitched, her head spinning with new and old thoughts, she thought she was going to collapse but this man kept her fighting it, he kept her standing. After a few deep breathes and long seconds of her standing there just staring at him, she started to cry and nodded slowly as a response.

'Th...Theta?' Her voice was a whimper and he only just managed to nod before she ran the few small steps to him and fell into his arms. He caught her, fingers gripping into her clothes with a death grip before he moved one hand up and buried it in her hair, holding the back of her head.

"It's you." That's all the Doctor managed to whisper before pulling back to look over her face, eyes mentally encoding each feature to his memory. "It's actually you!" He laughed manically, screaming this time and beginning to sway them both side to side while pulling her back in even tighter.

"Doctor?" She whispered so happily into his neck. The Doctor could feel her tears landing on his skin and shuddered. All these years he had dreamed and imagined what it would be like to just hold her again. To feel her next to him and know that she was safe.

"Yeah, it's me. It's okay I'm here." He closed his eyes and held her until she stopped shaking with the tears and kissed the top of her head. "I'm here." The Doctor kept repeating, but it was mostly for himself. He was here for her again finally. Someone had given him another chance, some almighty force out there had done this for him. And he was here for her now, just like he should have been back then.

"I knew you would come, I knew you would." The Doctor felt her hand cling to his coat with an almighty grip but there had never been a better feeling. She was there and she didn't hate him. Not for leaving. Not for running. Not even for what he did to their planet. At least she didn't show any signs of hating him yet, but there was always time. "I knew that I'd find you, even if it's taken this long."

"Well...technically I found you." He managed a smile and she too laughed at his childishness, he'd always had his childishness even in this body. "How long has it been? For you?" The woman pulled her head back and looked up into the Doctors eyes. There was no pain anymore, no whispers or words or flashing images. There was just him.

"Years..." She swallowed hard. "Centuries...I don't know. I lost count after one hundred and...fifteen...twelve no seven no...five." Her eyes rolled to the side as she tried to recall, but her attention was brought back by the a Doctor laughing at her lightly. "You see! No idea. Just that it was far too long." The doctors hand moved from the back of her head to her cheek, cupping her face.

"We're you the only-"

"Yeah." She cut him off. She already knew what he was going to say and she didn't want those memories to arise just yet. That was part of the reason she had hidden herself from well...herself in the first place. "I'm sorry I-I couldn't. It was too late." The Doctor wasn't stupid and noticed the sadness creeping into her eyes so he just nodded and pulled her back to him.

"Ahem!" A load cough broke their tranquillity. She felt the Doctor almost jump away from her but stopped himself. It was the woman who squeezed him one final before letting his go, stepping back to face the girl who was watching them looking completely clueless. "What the hells going on?"

"Oh right! Sorry! Le-" The a Doctor caught himself just in time, he wasn't used to introducing other Time Lords. "Sky this is Rose Tyler, she's a friend of mine." Rose smiled and waved a little. "Rose this is Sky, or The Sky if you want to be formal."

"The Sky?" Rose repeated, looking over the woman skeptically.

"Yeah, please though never use the 'The'. I know it sounds so stupid." Sky shrugged but smiled at the younger girl.

"You picked it!" The Doctor screeched, swinging around to look at Sky.

"I liked the 'Sky' bit. Didn't realise it had to sound so pompous." She joked and met the Doctor's look, eyeing him up and down. "Like The Doctor." Winking, he found that to be his only reply. He was still a little speechless, for once his brain running out of words.

"So who are you to each other I mean..." Rose looked to the Doctor this time, obviously expecting him to answer. "Obviously you do recognise her."

"Right..." He started and both women saw how he started to trip over his words. However while Rose frowned and tried to listen to him, Sky smirked and crossed her arms over herself. "Well...Rose this is...she...she's my wife."


	4. The Sky

**Thank you to everyone who is reading!**

**time-twilight: Thank you! Hehe, I haven't planned to do that episode, there's going to be certain twists in its place I think but I'm a little nervous to see how people think of the next few parts :) **

**AxidentIGoddess: thank you! I'm going to try my best to develop the relationship in a sort of realistic way. Weird I know since it's an alien universe but hey ho it's nice for it to be relatable-ish :D **

**SilverWolf1978: My first reviewer! Yay! Thank you! Also for the correction, I was sure I'd put it that way but must have missed a one hehe, it's been fixed anyway :)**

"She's my wife."

It had taken a lot more effort to say than he thought. After all this time thinking she was gone, to finally say it felt wrong, but so right at the same time. It felt nice. But saying it to Rose was what added to the difficulty. He suspected how she felt, noticed the looked and the little things she said. And he, well, maybe he had started to feel the same. But this changed everything. Everything. Sky was back and she was there standing in front of him with that smile and those eyes that always seemed to stick no matter how different she looked through regenerations.

Thankfully, Sky sensed the tension and broke the other two out of it. "After all these years, you still find someone who is willing to let you drag them about." She wasn't stupid, she could remember the last few moments of her being human. She had seen the looks, the way they acted when she had still been dead to him. She couldn't blame him, neither of them, after all that's what she technically was. In that human Sky had been dead, just a dream. So they looked at each other, that was the last thing she would allow her to think about in that moment. All that mattered was she was back and the Doctor was back at her side just like she had wished for all those years.

"Oi! Just cause you never wanted to join me!" The Doctor yelled, offended and turned to see Sky starting to look around the controls, this time looking much more aware of what each of the buttons actually did.

"Excuse me! Mr I'm off to travel the universe! I had other responsibilities back home if you remember correctly." She was laughing out loud now, eyes sparkling and a wide grin on her face as she let him off this time. But with what she said came a bitterness. Neither of them let it show, not even in their eyes, but it was there. Forever nibbling at the back of their heads, reminding them just what those beautiful responsibilities were.

"I remember." The Doctor still smiled, the reality of it may have been sad but the memories weren't. The memories were what had kept him fighting all these years.

"So...what? You two are still married or what?" It didn't take a genius to spot the bitterness in Rose's voice. But it just happened there were two geniuses in the room.

"Yes, still, and technically we always have been." Where the Doctor looked hard done by, having to tell this girl the true answer, Sky felt a little guilty. Yes she had found the Doctor and it was her Doctor but suddenly she had just appeared in both his and this girls lives, it couldn't have been an easy adjustment. She definitely knew it wasn't easy being herself right now,celery thing seemed foreign like returning to your home after a holiday. Eyes didn't feel right,coven her tongue felt wrong as she pushed it against her cheeks and shook her limbs about trying to get them connect back to her brain.

"Weird isn't it?" Sky tried to tease lightly but then she reached up and laid a hand against the centre console of the TARDIS, it was like an electric shock when the console pulled violently and the whole room hummed. Surprised, Sky glanced over to the Doctor, who just smiled at her like she had just did the greatest thing.

"She likes you, probably relieved to finally have another Time Lord other than me in her company."

"Well after 300 years in your company who wouldn't be relieved?" Flashing the a doctor a grin she returned to the console. But then she paused, as if something had just came to her. Looking up, Sky frowned and put a hep and to her head, massaging her temples as she became deep in thought. She was remembering.

"What? What is it?" He asked with a hint of urgency.

"I'm trying to remember where she is?" Sky hissed and spun around on the spot hoping to find the answer. Where had she been, it must have been somewhere safe.

"Where who is?" Rose asked, walking closer to the pair and watching Sky with the Doctor. "Who is it you've lost?"

"Ah! I know! I was on...erm...Cambridge Street! No! Yes! No!" She argued with herself, completely leaving Rose in the dark as she continued to frown at the woman. "Yes! Cambridge street!" That was all the Doctor and Rose got before she turned on her heal and sprinted out of the TARDIS.

"Oh my God, she's more mad than you!" Rose managed to laugh honestly before they both took off running after her.

"Oh yes!" The Doctor grinned and by the time they also left the TARDIS, Sky had already gained her bearings and took off down the street in a full on sprint.

Her brain worked over time, trying to remember. For Isabelle it may have been 10 years but for Sky it felt like ten minutes. She had made sure it was safe, made sure to keep it hidden and away from eyes that would snatch it up in a heart beat. She had placed it under hibernation, undetectable which was another reason the Doctor hadn't been able to stumble across the signal. Then checked the street name and position, committing to always remembering it for the moment ever come where she'd need to seek it out again.

Sky ran down street after street, never stopping for breath until she turned onto Cambridge street and spotted it only a few meters away. She was still here after ten years, untouched and in place.

"Hey! Wait up a second eh?" She heard Rose from behind her so she listened and walked the few last steps, using the time to take everything in. "What is it? What's here?" The girl asked when they both caught up to her and came to stand beside her, all of them standing and looking up at a red telephone box stood completely in place in the middle of the side path. It was ordinary, the exact same on was stood further down on the opposite side of the road.

"Oh that is brilliant. I mean you are brilliant!" The Doctor took out his glasses from his coat pocket and put them on,changes in pockets he took a step forward to study the telephone box more while Sky went around tapping each white porcelain square, her ear pressed against the wall of the box. "A Type 50, very nice. Where did you steal this from?"

"That's a long story." Sky smirked and let out a squeal when she finally knocked on a hollow square and pushed it in so a tiny door swung open revealing two very special items. "Here we are."

"Oh look at that, a little trap door as well! Why don't I have a little trap door?" He continued to ramble. "Hang on is that?...where did you get that?" He stopped and pointed to the small device she had taken out of the hatch along with the key to the TARDIS. She hadn't trusted her human self to look after them properly and had hidden them here before she changed.

"Yep. A sonic screwdriver."

"But. Where'd you get it?" The Doctor sneered, looking at Sky as if she was some sort of oddity.

"I built it." Sky answered plainly again. That shut him up, turning around from facing the door, as he smirked at him, unable to keep a straight face when she seen him stood there with his jaw almost hitting the floor. "What? I listened more than you thought I did. It was easy, learnt from the best." The Doctor smiled at that but was still overly shocked. Sky had never seemed remotely interested when he went on about stuff like that. Always telling him to put the silly stuff away while the kids were around or to put down the stupid screwdriver or actually put it to good use and fix something. He never thought she had listened enough to build something.

"And it works properly?" His face twisted as he watched her check it over. After 10 years she was surprised the thing was still in one piece to be honest.

"Yes! Cheeky!" Sky chuckled.

"Eh hello! Is it only me who hasn't got a clue what's going on! This is just a phone box!" Rose yelled to break up the Doctor and Sky and finally find out some answers for herself.

"Is it?" Sky turned to look at Rose before turning the key in the lock finally and and pushed open the box's door. "See for yourself." Sky really had to hold herself back from running in first herself but she had to try and get comfortable with this girl if she was the new friend. She'd been friends with Sarah Jane and the rest, she could do the same with this girl.

Rose looked at Sky like she was a little mad, but as suspected she heard the gasp as soon as she was through the door. Then she walked in second, the Doctor hot on her tail.

"It's a TARDIS." Rose breathed, spinning in one quick turn to look back at them both.

Sky smiled but didn't respond, she didn't think she really needed to. Instead she walked straight passed the girl and up the grated floor to the console. Looking over the controls for a few seconds, she needed to familiarise herself with them before she opened up a black hole then in there in the centre of London. "Right, now, if I'm right this should wake her up." Sky smacked her hand down on half a dozen buttons and then wrapped her hand around a lever.

"And if your wrong?" She could see why the Doctor had picked Rose, she had that little spark of danger lurking behind her eyes, searching for that adventure.

"Then hold on tight." Without another seconds warning the lever was pushed up. It was like someone had plugged her in, literally roaring to life the TARDIS rang loudly and started pulsing manically, all of the mechanism working hard to power up after such a long time sleeping. "Oh I've missed you!" All she got in reply was a low rumble but it was enough for now.

The console was light blue, like a Caribbean ocean. The control panel surround it in in a perfect circle just like the Doctor's, all of the buttons perfectly arranged alongside each other. Unlike the Doctors however the walls were a plain light grey creating a dome over their heads. It was a little bit lighter inside too, but the supporting y beams were black. It was very stylish. Very Sky. There were three arch ways leading deeper into the TARDIS all of which were now lit up with small white spot lights. A few doors could be seen beyond each of the passage ways but then it became to deep and dark to see.

Suddenly a wild bleeping came form the screen by the navigators chair. Sky pulled it in front of her and studied it closely before smiling up at the Doctor. "She found you."

The Doctor ran over at hearing that and read out from the screen himself. '1472 unidentified signal requests'. They weren't dated but she guess that these had been sent from the Doctors TARDIS over the past however many years. All this time and he had never give up searching for anyone, he was still out there,clever giving up hope. Well he had been right, she had been out there.

"I would always send out a signal, hoping it would bounce off something one day." He explained with a sad smile. "But that doesn't make sense..." The Doctors face twisted as he pulled the screen over to himself. "You've only been here 10 years, the signal should have been picked up ages ago while it was still running."

"Not necessarily." Sky replied shyly. "I turned off all the signal tracking devices only ten minutes after first taking the TARDIS. I-" this was really a story for another time, it was a long story. But she had to explain to him why. "Darlek signals began to come through and I got so scared. I thought they were going to be able to chase me so I turned everything off, drifting through space and time with no trace. I'm sorry." Slowly, the Doctor wrapped his arm around Sky's waist and hugged her.

"It's okay, you did the right thing." He deleted all of the messages before he stepped away and continued to look around. This was all very weird for him, after years of thinking her was alone, thinking he owned the last living TARDIS. Yet there they were, standing together. Time Lady and TARDIS together right there in front of him. "So...are you going to leave her here while you're away?"

"Away?" Rose repeated before Sky even had the chance to.

"Yeah..." He said to Rose before repeating it for Sky who looked just as surprised. "Yeah you're...you're going to come with me aren't you?" The Doctor looked so shy and sheepish as he asked her the question. It looked so cute and sweet for a moment, until the question set in. After so long, he still wanted her with him. Of course she still wanted him, never wanted him out of her sight after everything they had gone through. But he had Rose, did he honestly want Sky there adventuring with him.

"You want me to?" She asked, looking up to him.

"Are you mad! Of course!" The Doctor laughed, looking away after his outburst due to embarrassment.

"But..." Sky's eyes looked over at Rose briefly who was looking around the TARDIS but still half listening to the pair. "Are you not busy? I mean..." She looked to the doctor and then back at Rose, hoping he would understand without her actually having to say it out loud or telepathically. He nodded getting her message.

"You don't have to, if you would rather stay here or be by yourself." Things were getting awkward and stiff. He didn't want to ask a second time but she didn't want to agree instantly while everything was so new.

"No!" She called out, catching the attention of the Doctor and Rose. "I mean...no. I want to, it's just." Stopping, Sky's eyes studied the ground around the Doctors feet. It was hard to say, there was the danger of insulting him which wasn't an option after having just got him back. "It's been a long time. Maybe I should practice being a Time Lord again before I practice being, you know, a wife again."

"Oh right." The Doctor's eyes also feel to the floor as he kicked the ground nervously. The disappointment was clear in his voice and it made her hearts beat faster.

"I'm sorry, just a lot has hap-" She tried to rationalise what she was saying but nothing came out right. Inside she wanted to hold onto him and never let go, grip him tight like she had done only a short time ago. If it was up to her they would still be there. The overwhelming urge to show how much shed missed him was there but she couldn't, it had been too long. They needed to at least talk about what had happened first.

"No no, that's fine. I understand. Really I do." The Doctor crossed his arms and nodded, finally meeting her eyes and it almost killed her. He was trying so hard to hide it but his eyes became just the tiniest bit glossy, if he thought he was going to loose her again he was wrong. She just needed time to get used to the fact he was there now. There wouldn't be cold nights or lonely searching and panic anymore. He was there.

"Just maybe a couple of strange doings myself and then. Maybe when all the dust is settled..." She smiled and sighed with relief when he smiled back.

"Then how about just one trip, just one. In celebration, to help you settle in?" He suggested and stepped closer to her.

"To help me settle in?"

"Yeah, a trail run. To make sure you know the ropes. Put my mind at ease so I don't have images of you flying round crashing everywhere and...getting into the wrong situations." That wouldn't be all, he had a plan.

"Oh you're one to talk." Rose scoffed from beside them, giving away she had been listening the whole time.

"Just one trip. Then you can you know come back here to settle in or...choose to stay with me." There is was, the giveaway.

"Oh so it's a trick. Trying to tempt me?" Sky smirked knowingly and the fact the Doctor didn't reply just confirmed it. "Fine. But just the one! I know what it's like with you and I don't know how much I can run." He just winked her way and then glanced over at Rose.

'Don't worry about Rose, it's nothing. Just like it was always nothing Lelia.' The Doctor smiled but she only smirked at him and looked at Rose herself. She really wanted to ask him whether she knew it was nothing but she didn't want to stir so she left it, only nodding once before looking around and stepping back.

"Well." Sky announced, clapping her hands. "I should probably get into some more appropriate clothes eh? Don't want to look like a maid forever." Laughing, she turned and stumbled down the hallway, head still spinning.

When she reemerged, Sky's look was completely different. She wore black skinny jeans with a dark grey t-shirt on the top and a black cargo jacket. On her feet were a simple pair of black converse, light and easy to run it. It felt good, not wearing a silly old dress, this felt right. She felt free again and like she could actually move.

"Ready? Finally?" The Doctor smiled and stood from the navigator chair, stretching and yawning.

"I didn't not take that long!" The said and tucked her sonic screwdriver into one of the pockets of her jacket before finding the TARDIS key and putting the chain around her neck for safe keeping. "And besides I'm ready now, so lets go!" She walked over to the console and pulled the lever back down, shutting it back down into hibernation. "Oh I know." Sky cooed when the console let out a final hum. "But I'll be back soon, after the bid mean Doctor 'shows me the ropes'." She hugged the console and looked at the Doctor with a playful grin. She was coming back slowly right in front of his eyes. That was one reason he'd made her come along, she wasn't totally alive and awake yet,can't he wanted to be there when she was.

"Alright come on, or it'll be time to come back!" Rose stated her presence by yelling out by the doors.

"The girl has a point." Smiling the two joined Rose and left her TARDIS, setting out to walk back to the Doctors.


	5. The Impossible Planet Part 1

"So where are we going?" The Doctor asked, eyes flashing between Sky and Rose. The younger human girl stood by the railing watching Sky and the Doctor as they both worked on the console. She didn't really get why Sky was doing anything, the Doctor had been flying alone all this time, she probably wasn't even helping.

"Anywhere, surprise me. After all you're meant to be showing me the ropes." Sky replied with a laugh before catching Rose's attention. "Anywhere you'd suggest?"

Rose shrugged and rolled her eyes. "Well, there's so many I've already seen." She was trying to be smart, trying to show off. Having just met this woman it was probably rude and childish but she didn't care, this was her adventures with her Doctor and now here was this woman. This woman who already had such a close past with him, who had already got him to love her. Rose just felt like a third wheel now, being forced to watch as they grew closer and closer to each other with each second that passed by in the TARDIS.

"You're telling me." Rose's smirk came back to her through Sky, as she walked over to the Doctor and put a hand to his shoulder. "So where we heading?"

"Right...here." The TARDIS shook, rattling violently as he stood straight and grinned at Sky who held on to the console for her life.

"Ah, you always were a bad driver!" Huffing, she stood and sorted out her clothes. "Are we going?" Sky almost squeaked before running towards the door to the TARDIS. Rose following shortly behind. "What have you done to her?" Sky frowned when they came out in a very tight closet, the sound of the TARDIS almost wheezing filling the small face. Sky turned and ran her hand over the smooth dark wood of the police box in sympathy. "Are you okay?" Rose didn't let the question go as she realised she was speaking to the TARDIS. His wife really was a weird one.

"I don't know what's wrong though. She's sort of queasy. Indigestion, like she didn't want to land." The Doctor answered Sky when he appeared after shrugging on his coat.

"Well that bodes well for us all." Sky smiled cheekily.

"Oh, if you think there's going to be trouble, we could always get back inside and go somewhere else." There was silence for a few seconds before they all started laughing manically. But something in Sky told her the girl was semi-serious, that maybe they should just go back, drop Sky off and come back themselves.

The Doctor calmed first and looked around. "I think we've landed inside a cupboard. Here we go." There was a hatch door, unlocked by computer and then a thick airlock released by turning a wheel. A giant 15 was painted on the door, the name of the door quite obvious as the computer spoke it out as they unlocked the hatch and walked through. "Some sort of base. Moon base, sea base, space base. They build these things out of kits."

"Close door 15." The computer spoke as Sky relocated the door behind the 3 of them, sealing the TARDIS safely inside. The wind was howling outside, howling was actually an understatement, it sounded like a hurricane was all around them.

"Glad we're indoors. sounds like a storm out there." Rose spoke as the came to another door leading to a corridor, a number of doors coming off it to each side. It was definitely a base, it was built like a rat run, very long but complicated to navigate through.

"Human design." The Doctor concluded. "You've got a thing about kits. This place was put together like a flat pack wardrobe, only bigger. And easier." Another door, this one numbered 17. They opened the door, the Doctor leading as usual and entered a larger area filled with a few tables and chair. "Oh, it's a sanctuary base. Deep Space exploration. We've gone way out. And listen to that, underneath." He turned back to the two girls, Rose was staring around grinning but Sky was being very quiet. Which wasn't usual. Then again she had just came out of a watch after 10 years, some people were bound to be a little quiet. "Someone's drilling." He finished.

"Welcome to hell." Rose spoke quietly.

"It's not that bad. I've been to worse places." Sky answered, walking around and picking up random objects to inspect them.

"No, over there." Rose pointed to the wall in front of them. The Doctor and Sky both looked, frowns overcoming both their faces as they too noticed the words painted on the wall in bold black ink. But what was underneath the... 'Welcome' was much more interesting. There was some sort of foreign verticals script underneath and a lot of it reaching down to the floor.

"Hold on, what does that say?" She spoke out and walked forward until she reached the wall, crouching down to run her hand over the markings. "I can't read it. Don't even recognise it."

"That's weird, it won't translate." The Doctor confirmed and crouched next to Sky as Rose stood behind them both.

"But I thought the Tardis translated everything, writing as well. We should see English."

"Exactly. If that's not working, then it means this writing is old. Very old. Impossibly old. We should find out who's in charge." Standing, the Doctor ran to another door and started to spin it towards unlocking it. "We've gone beyond the reach of the Tardis' knowledge. Not a good move. And if someone's lucky enough."

The door opened and Sky stood with a sigh, getting ready to follow the Doctor and his new companion. However when the door opened,cit seemed some members of the base crew had already found them. There was some life form on the other side of the door, tentacles making up where their nose and mouthed should be, a tube with a white ball on the end of it going into the mouth area as they held the ball in their hand. They were dresses in a very bland grey outfit, all of them the same and there was a good few stood in front of the a Doctor right now, but for Sky they looked very familiar.

"Oh! Right. Hello. Sorry. I was just saying, er, nice base." The Doctor jumped back, causing Sky to laugh under her breath.

"We must feed." Ah, right. She'd witnessed them before like this, humans were good at surviving but God they could be slack when it came to telepathy still. Loose wires, dodgy connections. After all these years and it was still so so simple to hack a simple mind.

"You've got to what?" The Doctor frowned, stepping back.

'Theta.' Sky tried to reach out but he wasn't listening.

"We must feed." All of the Ood chorused again.

"Yeah. I think they mean us."

"I really don't think they do, I've been-"

"We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed." She was interrupted by the Ood as they began to walk forward into the room, making the a Doctor and arose back away. Then other doors opened and more Ood began to enter, surrounding them from every angle.

The Doctor got out his sonic screwdriver while Rose picked up and armed herself with a chair. They were both pushed into a small corner, while Sky stayed by the writing and watched,crying so hard to hide her amusement, this was just too fun. There was was laughing and the Doctor was panicking, it was a very nice swap of roles from the past.

'Theta!' She tried to reach out to him again but his mind was turning too fast in searching for a way out for him to hear her.

"We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed." The Ood started chanting louder, meaning there was no chance in hell of her reaching through to him or even talking aloud to them. "We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed."

"We must feed." One Ood spoke independently this time and it was at this point that Sky lost patience. Sighing and with a roll of her eyes, she stepped down from the writing and started to weave through the heard of Oods.

"Excuse me. Thank you." She smiled and stepped cautiously until she reached the head Ood stood right in front of the Doctor and Rose.

"What are you doing?" The girl asked in a whisper, paralysed by fear.

Sky didn't answer but tapped the globe the Ood still held with her finger. "Sorry, may I?" She said and then took out her sonic screw driver before slightly and harmlessly bleeping the ball. "There you go, try that."

"We must feed you, if you are hungry." He spoke fully know, no stutter or catching...and defiantly no feeding on human flesh.

"Sorry?" The Doctor screeched, eyes wide as he dropped his screwdriver by his side and stared at the Ood and Sky.

"Thank you miss." The Ood turned to Sky, bowing it's head.

"My pleasure." She smiled and then turned back to the Doctor as did the Ood, a very smug smile upon her face.

"We apologise. Electromagnetics have interfered with speech systems. Would you like some refreshment?" Raising her eyebrows, Sky pouted sarcastically at the Doctor, still relishing in her knowledge. Having knowledge the Doctor didn't have and she knew it really riled him when she knew more than him.

"Er..." He wanted to laugh, he really wanted to burst out laughing. Partly because of what happened but mostly because of Sky. He wanted to grab her and laugh. She really was brilliant.

"Open door 18." The amusement dropped however when the door was being reopened behind them. Sky turned and the Doctors eyes finally left her as humans entered.

"What the hell? How did?" An older man came up to them out of the group, the Ood separating for them instantly, creating a path way to the three newcomers. The man...actually all of the team you'd just entered looked like they were dreaming. Like they were just a hallucination to the crew. "Captain, you're not going to believe this. We've got people. Out of nowhere. I mean, real people. I mean three living people, just standing here right in front of me." Rose seemed oblivious to the strangeness but both Time Lords glanced at each other. What could possibly be going on that would make this impossible?

"Don't be stupid, that's impossible." A reply soon came through the mans wrist device he had just spoken into, some sort of communicator.

"I suggest telling them that." They were all waiting until this man started patting them down just to check they were real.

"But you're a sort of space base. You must have visitors now and then. It can't be that impossible." Rose's face twisted as she looked at the man dressed in black cargo pants, t-shirt and a black leather jacket. Him and the other couple of humans behind him all carried guns over their shoulders. Big guns. Really what was it with humans and heaving big guns?

"You're telling me you don't know where you are?" Okay, that sounded just a tiny bit bad. Where were thy? Oh she knew she should have just picked somewhere. Midnight, they should have went to Midnight. Had a nice little catch up around a pool. Oh but who was she kidding, this was more fun.

"No idea. More fun that way." See, The Doctor said it himself. Although, this really wasn't the perfect way to get familiarised with each other again. On a base camp with Oods and however many humans.

"Stand by, everyone. Buckle down. We have incoming. And it's a big one. Quake point five on its way." Suddenly a woman's voice sounded over the tannoy system across the whole base and it was like everyone went in to a certain mode. People got serious all of a sudden and the man ran back the way he'd came, spinning not door open.

"Through here, now. Quickly, come on! Move!" The Doctor pushed Sky a head of him, his hand resting on her lower back. Rose stayed behind him but he kept checking back on her as they moved into another corridor just as the ground started to shake. That voice hadn't been joking when they said this was a big one. They were being shook all over, falling across the grater floors as the man behind them shouted at then endlessly. "Move it! Come on! Keep moving. Come on! Quickly! Move it!"

It took a little while but finally the shaking subsided and they were guided into another room, from the looks of it Sky would make a strong guess that this was the control room. But it was full of people working furiously at different control stations. She began looking around curiously, as Rose stood with the Doctor still by the door.

"Oh, my God. You meant it." There attention was drawn by a new voice, a black man sat at the main controls in the centre of the room.

"People! Look at that, real people!" A young woman, a very young woman Sky noted, gaped at the three of them. She was dressed much like Sky was only instead of a loose grey t-shirt, the young girl wore a dark vest top.

"That's us. Hooray!" The Doctor smiled at the girl but his eyes soon started scanning around the whole room.

"Yeah, definitely real. My name's Rose. Rose Tyler." She smiled, introducing herself sort of shyly. "And, and this is the Doctor. And this is the Sky."

"Just Sky." The woman added with a quick smile.

"Come on the oxygen must be offline. We're hallucinating." A younger boy dressed casually spoke as he stood from his station and walked over to Sky, studying her face closely. "They can't be. No, they're real." The Doctor walked over to Sky then and stood close to her, very close. A small bubbly feeling came into her stomach then as she felt his breath again the back of her neck. Was he getting protective already?

"Come on, we're in the middle of an alert! Danny, strap up." The man in the centre from before shouted over all of the alarms going off. "The quake's coming in! Impact in thirty seconds! Sorry you three, whoever you are. Just hold on, tight." The Doctor grasped Sky's hand tightly and led her over to a wall of the room where there were different pipes to hold on to.

"Hold on to what?" Rose questioned, looking around.

"Anything. I don't care." They were all secured, the three of them sat on the steps leading down into the control room and holding onto pipes and railings. "Just hold on. Ood, are we fixed?"

"Your kindness in this emergency is much appreciated."

"What's this planet called, anyway?" Sky asked, looking towards a group of three crew men who were all stood around the centre console, one being the young girl.

"Now, don't be stupid." An older woman, who it had to be said looked like an older version of the young girl, answered. "It hasn't got a name. How could it have a name? You really don't know, do you?"

"And impact!" Before either Sky or the Doctor could ask where it actually was that was so impossible the man yelled out and the floor began to shake. It only lasted a few seconds, but it had rattled Sky's brain.

"Oh, well, that wasn't so ba-" he just had to open his mouth. The Doctor fell back with a thud as the shaking grew in intensity, flames erupting from some of the control panels due to electrics malfunctioning.

"Okay, that's it. Everyone all right?" There was just a sequence of groans as people stood. "Speak to me, Ida?"

"Yeah, yeah!" All of the crew answered at their names as the two time lord and...well the human from the past sorted themselves out sitting on the steps. Sky wanted to kiss the ground, her brain had been so close to being shaken out of her ear.

"We're fine, thanks, fine. Yeah, don't worry about us." Sarcastically the Doctor groaned, sitting up straight as Rose rushed to his side, holding his head for him. Sky wouldn't lie to herself, it hurt, but it was nothing.

"The surface caved in. I deflected it onto storage five through eight. We've lost them completely." Sky heard one of the crew say as she regained her bearings and brushed the light layer of dust off her jeans.

"You okay?" Turning, she saw the Doctor look over her face and smiled. He really did look worried about her, and as strange as it is to say she missed that a lot. Having someone there that cared if she was hurt or not.

"Of course, I'm tough." She chuckled and ruffled his hair to get rid of some of the dirt which had fallen during the earthquake. He was laughing as she did it, but when she stopped and pulled her hand away, his eyes stayed attached to hers. It wasn't for long but it felt like it was as they stared at each other, both willing each other to be the first to say something. However the moment was broken when a crew member walked between them and out the door.

"Oxygen holding. Internal gravity fifty six point six. We should be okay." The woman spoke.

"Never mind the earthquake, that's, that's one hell of a storm. What is that, a hurricane?" Rose asked, looking around her to try and decipher where the noise seemed to be coming from but it was all around them.

"You'd need an atmosphere for a hurricane. There's no air out there. It's a complete vacuum."

"Then what's shaking the roof?" It wasn't just shaking the roof, even after the earthquake had completely gone, the base floor still had a slight rumble to it. It was like being in a ten during a storm, but this was a well constructed metal base...so that would really have to be one hell of a force.

"You're not joking. You really don't know." The older woman repeated herself from before and that was the final straw for Sky. Why didn't they just come out and tell them. Standing up, she walked to the centre console and started studying all the numbers and charts they were using.

"You know every time you say that it makes me just a tinsy bit more weary. So would you please tell us what is going on." She spoke to them and moved around the other side of the console, trying to figure out why these people were so astounded at their existence.

"Well introductions. F Y I, as they said in the olden days." The older woman nodded. "I'm Ida Scott, science officer." Then she pointed to the black man from before. "Zachary Cross Flane, acting Captain, sir." Then to the man who had found them. "You've met Mister Jefferson, he's Head of Security." To the younger man. "Danny Bartock, Ethics committee."

"Not as boring as it sounds." He butted in.

"And that man who just left, that was Toby Zed, Archaeology, and this is Scooti Manista, Trainee maintenance." She said, placing her hands on the shoulders of the young she walked over to the opposite wall of the room to where Sky, the adopt or and Rose where standing, placing her hand on a switch. "And this? This is home."

"Brace yourselves. The sight of it sends some people mad." Zach warmed before he too turned his eyes up to the roof which was now being revealed as the security shield was pulled back. What was there almost did send Sky mad because she too now thought she had lost air and was hallucinating. It was angry, so angry. All that met them was a blinding white disk which dissolved into a black centre which appeared to be deeper than the whole of space itself. Surrounding it was dark lumps of rocks and other mass, all of it slowly being pulled into the core.

"Doctor...That's a black hole." Sky whispered, glancing at him briefly, then back to the skies. It was beautiful. So so beautiful, but so ugly at the same time. A magnificent occurrence but a killer. Sky could have stood and looked at the beauty of it all day but she couldn't watch the death as worlds continuously got sucked in and ended forever.

"But that's impossible." He gasped, voice just a small husky sound in a Sky's ear. "We're standing under a black hole."

"In orbit." Ida added, and smiled Sadly when Sky turned to her in a split second, her face expressionless.

"But we can't be." She said, shaking her head.

"You can see for yourself. We're in orbit." And they could see, they could also see it quite clearly. But they just couldn't be, it went against everything Sky had ever been taught in the Academy.

"But we can't be." The Doctor spoke this time sounding louder and angrier.

"This lump of rock is suspended in perpetual geostationary orbit around that black hole without falling in. Discuss." Ida asked with a grim lurking in the corner of her mouth. Sky didn't understand how they were all so calm, but then she didn't know how long they had been here. For all she knew, this team had been here for years,cleaning to accept their possible existence.

"And that's bad, yeah?"

"Bad doesn't cover it. A black hole's a dead star. It collapses in on itself, in and in and in until the matter's so dense and tight it starts to pull everything else in too. Nothing in the universe can escape it. Light, gravity, time. Everything just gets pulled inside and crushed." Sky wasn't listening, she didn't need to, she was there when he learnt about this too. Instead she just kept watching what they were doing, there had to be an answer for it, nothing was that impossible.

"So, they can't be in orbit. We should be pulled right in."

"We should be dead." Sky answered,clocking up at Rose.

Ida walked down to the centre of the room to take one final look at the black hole herself as the shield began to close again. "And yet here we are, beyond the laws of physics. Welcome on board."

"But if there's no atmosphere out there, what's that?" Rose said, pointing the the black clouds that flew over the base just seconds before the shield shut.

"Stars breaking up. Gas clouds. We have whole solar systems being ripped apart above our heads, before falling into that thing." It felt wrong, it was hard to look at. Because it shouldn't have been happening. They shouldn't have been able to land here, or walk here...it was disturbing.

"So, a bit worse than a storm, then." Rose concluded.

"Just a bit, yeah." Ida nodded before getting back to work as another shake hit them.


	6. The Impossible Planet Part 2

Sky had still failed to come to terms with where they were but the base crew had started to explain things to them a little more finally. Zach, acting as captain, had invited them around the centre console to explain what they had found and what they are currently in the process of finding out. It was interesting but all the more confusing because there was no explanation. Ida explained how in the scriptures of Falltino this planet was the black holes poison but that wasn't a suitable explanation, there needed to be more to it surely. The Doctor seemed to be having just as hard of a time understanding it as well by the sounds of it.

"We are so far out. Lost in the drifts of the universe. How did you even get here?!" The Doctor exclaimed, looking at the hologram of the black hole Zach had brought up for them.

"We flew in. You see, this planet's generating a gravity field. We don't know how. We've no idea. But it's kept in constant balance against the black hole. And the field extends out there as a funnel. A distinct gravity funnel, reaching out into clear space. That was our way in." It made sense but how? This was always Sky's weakness in the Academy, she was always rushing for the answer. She always had to know why something was and how the 'why' worked. It was hard for her to step back and accept, she was like the Doctor. Never accepting anything without getting the true answer first, because no matter how impossible something seemed, there was always an explanation.

"You flew down that thing? Like a roller coaster." Rose grinned, she didn't really seem to grasp the seriousness of things right now. Well, either that or she was just trying to hide how she was truly feeling.

"By rights, the ship should have been torn apart. We lost the Captain, which is what put me in charge."

"You're doing a good job." Ida responded reassuringly.

"Yeah, well, needs must." He didn't seem to buy what she was saying.

"But if that gravity funnel closes, there's no way out." Danny informed from his station.

"We had fun speculating about that." Scooti smiled.

"Oh, yeah. That's the word. Fun." They all seemed so calm, it was strange. Humans were strange but this was beyond strange. They should be dead, but here they were.

"But that field would take phenomenal amounts of power." The doctor shook his head. "I mean not just big, but off the scale! Can I?" He asked, referring to the controls.

"Sure. Help yourself." Ida smiled and passed him a calculator, beginning to talk about their finding more with the Doctor.

Sky was in her own little world when an Ood came over with two cups. "Your refreshments." He said and passed one cup to Rose and one to Sky.

"Oh, Thanks." Sky smiled, taking the drink.

"Thank you. I'm sorry, what was your name?" Rose asked nervously, eyes still roaming over the new face.

"We have no titles. We are as one." The Ood answered and then walked back to their work.

"Er, what are they called?" Rose asked Sky curiously.

"Oh, come on. Where have you been living? Everyone's got one." Danny jumped in as Sky opened her mouth to answer.

"Well, not me, so, what are they?" Rose shook her head.

"They're the Ood." Sky smiled, liking how it sounded.

"The Ood?" Rose grinned.

"The Ood." The girl could be nice and she was funny sometimes. But still there was some sort of...awkward wall there.

"Well that's ood."

"Very ood, but handy. They work the mine shafts. All the drilling and stuff. Supervision and maintenance. They're born for it. Basic slave race." Danny explained, watching the Ood work around them.

"Ah, I hate that word, slaves." Sky frowned, sticking her tongue out as if the word had left a bad taste in her mouth.

"You've got slaves?" Rose asked.

"Don't start. She's like one of that lot. Friends of the Ood." Scooti joked, nudging Danny with a smile.

"Well maybe I am, yeah." Rose looked offended and glanced at Sky, nodding over at the other two. "Since when do humans need slaves?"

"Well it's tricky. See the Ood offer themselves." Sky began to explain. She had sort of the same opinion but this was life. "If you don't give them orders, they just pine away and die." She pouted.

"Seriously, you like being ordered about?" Rose asked, stopping a passing Ood.

"It is all we crave." They answered.

"See, it's like Ood instinct." Sky sighed.

"Why's that, then?" The Ood never did explain it, just like Time Lord never explained why they travelled. It was just...what they did.

"We have nothing else in life." The Ood nodded at Rose.

"Yeah, well, I used to think like that, a long time ago." She sounded sad, and she knew instantly that it involved the Doctor. But a long time ago? How long had they actually been travelling together? It could have been years for all Sky knew.

"There we go. Do you see?" The Doctor leapt to life, bringing Sky out of her thoughts. "To generate that gravity field, and the funnel, you'd need a power source with an inverted self extrapolating reflex of six to the power of six every six seconds."

"666?" Sky smirked, raising her eyes at the Doctor.

"That's a lot of sixes."

"And it's impossible." He groaned, eyes fixing back onto the hologram.

"It took us two years to work that out." Zach frowned, looking up at the Doctor.

"Ah, I'm very good." The Doctor nodded.

"Forever modest." Sky muttered but winked when he looked up and smiled at her.

"But that's why we're here. This power source is ten miles below through solid rock. Point Zero. We're drilling down to try and find it." Ida explained.

"It's giving off readings of over ninety stats on the Blazon scale." Zach looked over the control, seeming helpless.

"It could revolutionise modern science." They all spoke with such determinism, all of them trying so hard to explain that them being here was right, that them staying was right and that everything they were doing was right.

"We could use it to fuel the Empire." Mr Jefferson looked over the stats.

"Or start a war." The Doctor added.

"It's buried beneath us, in the darkness, waiting." Erg, that sounded...mysterious...and borderline insane.

"What's your job, chief dramatist?" Sky laughed lightly at Rose and looked to Toby, hoping for some sort of explanation.

"Well, whatever it is down there is not a natural phenomena. And this, er, planet once supported life eons ago, before the human race had even learned to walk." Oh he was an archeologist wasn't he? Got help him if the Doctor found out, he really wasn't a fan of them.

"I saw that lettering written on the wall. Did you do that?"

"I copied it from fragments we found unearthed by the drilling, but I can't translate it." Toby nodded, his hands showing how frustrated he was.

"No, neither can we. And that's saying something." The Doctor said,cit was very rare that he was stuck. It was a little scary.

"There was some form of civilisation." Toby continued. "They buried something. Now it's reaching out, calling us in."

"And you came." Sky smiled.

"Well, how could we not?" Easily, very easily...to most people, Sky thought. But not them.

"So, when it comes right down to it, why did you come here?" The Doctor asked, unable to keep from smiling. "Why did you do that? Why? I'll tell you why. Because it was there." He looked around at each of the crew. "Brilliant. Excuse me, er, Zach, wasn't it?"

"That's me." Zach answered, leaning against the control board.

"Just stand there, because I'm going to hug you. Is that all right?" The Doctor was grinning now.

"I suppose so." Zach nodded although he was defiantly a bit weary of the situation. But hey, who wouldn't be when a complete stranger who had shown up impossibly was asking to hug you?

"Here we go. Come on, then." The Doctor hugged Zach, he was enjoying all this impossibility just little too much. "Oh, human beings. You are amazing! Ha! Thank you." He patted Zach's shoulders, stepping away. "But apart from that, you're completely mad. You should pack your bags, get back in that ship and fly for your lives."

"You can talk. And how the hell did you get here?" Sky was surprised that hadn't been the first thing they had asked. But they had been too busy showing off and impressing them all with their magical black hole.

"Oh, I've got this er, this ship. It's hard to explain. It just sort of appears." The Doctor shrugged off the explanation.

We can show you, we parked down the corridor from er. Oh, what's it called?" Rose thought aloud. "Habitation area..."

"Three." Sky finished for her, remembering the giant number 3 painted on the wall of the area.

"Do you mean storage six?" Zach asked, standing up from where he leant on the console and looking between the three newcomers.

"It was a bit of a cupboard, yeah." The Doctor squinted, rubbing the back of his head. "Storage six. But you said...You said..." His mouth opened and closed a few times quickly as he stared blankly at the captain. It took a while but Sky soon recalled what Zach had said after the quake.

"You said storage five to eight." She breathed and took off running, the Doctor only a few steps behind. She had never run so fast, it was impossible. Seriously, this really was impossible, it couldn't be happening, it just couldn't. Through countless corridors and habitation areas, they sprites, Rose falling behind by a few meters.

"What is it?" Rose screamed from behind them. "What's wrong?" She yelled again when no one replied.

They finally reached the door to storage 8 and Sky started beating on the button to open the door, beginning to spin the lock for the hatch. "Open the door! Come on!"

"Door 16 out of commission." The computer spoke.

"It can't be. It can't be!" The doctor screamed and repeatedly banged his hand against the door.

"What's wrong? What is it?" Rose panted. "Doctor, the Tardis is in there. What's happened?" She stood back as Sky opened the window hatch in the door and looked out, her chest dropping, feeling as if it was going to cave in when she saw what was out there.

"The Tardis is gone." She spoke and then stepped aside for the Doctor to look out himself, but she doubted her really wanted to. "The earthquake. This section collapsed."

"But it's got to be out there somewhere...Doctor?" He gestured for the girl to come forward until she was looking out of the glass.

"Look down."

'I'm sorry Theta' Sky spoke to him so Rose couldn't here. He heard cause he looked at her, his face a picture of sadness, it was almost painful for her to look at.

'It couldn't be helped. I should be sorry, I promised you a trip and you're stuck here.'

For the first time it felt like they were bonded again, she could feel his sadness, it ran through her like blood. It was strange, after so long of feeling nothing, feeling helpless and alone, there he was again at the back of her mind. It may have been sadness she was feeling from him but at least it was something.

'Don't start that, we're not stuck here. Worse things have happened and we got out of that. We're living proof right here, you and me.' The Doctor watched her for a short time and while Rose still stood there, but then walked over slowly and wrapped his arms around Sky.

'I'll get us out Lelia. We have to, we still have a lot to talk about.' He was teasing her and she felt him smirk against her skin as his face buried into her neck. Sky relaxed in seconds and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, but her body stiffened when she felt his lips lightly kiss her skin, next to her collar bone. 'I'm sorry' Theta apologised when he felt her stiffen in his arms. He began to pull away but she stopped him.

'No...I liked it. It's okay.' She may have answered a little quickly and giggled at her own sheepishness. As Rose turned around the two pulled apart, smiling at each other as they did.

"Come on." Slowly, the Doctor led both girls back to the control room with heavy feet.

"No luck, I'm sorry. They won't divert the drilling. Apparently all they can do is offer us a lift." The Doctor sighed angrily, Sky could feel it so he couldn't hide it. "We've lost the TARDIS." Sky looked to him sadly while Rose walked off and started pacing the room.

"I'll er, put you on the duty roster. We need someone in the laundry." Ida spoke, coming over. That didn't make anyone's mood any better whether it was a joke or not. But then she left, leaving the Doctor and Sky alone.

"I've trapped you here." The Doctor spoke out loud this time. "You just came back and I've trapped you."

"No, don't worry about me." Sky smiled lightly. "It's better than being in a watch." She shuddered. "But just so I know...was being placed in the most critical life threatening scenario your plan for showing me the ropes?" She tried to joke and surprisingly, it did make him smile.

"Oh of course." He laughed, looking down at his feet. "Or just part of the plan to make sure you never leave my sight again." A light blush rose to her cheeks and for once things were starting to feel more comfortable, ever since that moment after the TARDIS was lost. But since they were both busy giving each other their full attention, neither noticed the glossy eyes watching them from across the room.

They were back in Habitation 3, the first main room they had come across. The Doctor was sat by the script written on the wall, still studying it and trying to got any sense out of it that he could. He just wasn't giving up. And while he did that, Rose sat at a table watching. Sky however was getting some food having not ate at all since she was a human, and even that had only been a piece of cake at that blasted Coronation party.

"Help yourself. Just don't have the green. Or the blue." Scooti smiled, pointing the the pile of trays to the side. Sky picked up a tray and took it to the window, behind which was an Ood.

"Er, a bit of that please, thanks." It was the blue, but she had to give something a go before her stomach collapsed in on itself never mind the freaking black hole.

"Would you like sauce with that?" The Ood asked.

"Yeah alright." She smiled as the Ood splashed the sauce onto the serving tray. "I did this once. Cooked and worked for a family...was a right maid. Not that I'm calling you a maid!" She corrected herself, never knowing really quite what to say to an Ood. "I've always wondered...Do you actually get paid? Do they give you money?"

"The Beast and his Armies shall rise from the Pit to make war against God." Hang on...what?

"I'm sorry?" It took Sky a while to respond...now she was sure she was hallucinating...because that message wasn't down to some mere interference.

"Apologies. I said, I hope you enjoy your meal." She watched the Ood for a minute or two, just watching and looking for anything strange, or at least stranger than what had already happened. But they were normal...as normal as an Ood.

"Yeah. Of course you did." Still with eyes wide, Sky picked up her tray and turned to walked back to the table where Rose was currently sitting. She took the seat opposite Rose and smiled at the girl as she placed the tray down and picked up her fork.

"That looks...appetising." She chuckled.

"Tell me about it...well...don't knock it until you've tried it eh?" Just as Sky was about to take a mouthful the lights flickered over them.

"Zach? Have we got a problem?" Both women listened in as Ida spoke into her wrist piece.

"No more than usual. Got the Scarlet System burning up. Might be worth a look." Zach replied.

"You might want to see this. Moment in history." Ida ran over to the lever on the wall and pushed it down so the shield above opened, revealing the black hole once again. "There. On the edge. That red cloud." Slowly, a long red cloud which seemed to sparkle swirled around the black hole before being consumed. "That used to be the Scarlet System. Home to the Peluchi, a mighty civilisation spanning a billion years, disappearing forever. Their planets and suns consumed. Ladies and gentlemen, we have witnessed its passing." Ida went to close the shield again.

"Er, no, could you leave it open? Just for a bit. I won't go mad, I promise." The Doctor stopped her, smiled cheekily towards her before he looked back out towards the dying star.

"How would you know? Scooti, check the lockdown. Jefferson, sign off the airlock seals for me." Scooti, Jefferson and Ida all left through the three separate doors in leaving the a Doctor, Rose and Sky alone.

"I've seen films and things, yeah. They say black holes are like gateways to another universe." Rose spoke up suddenly. Sky was surprised she was talking to her so easily, not expecting her to take well to the whole 'new person on board so suddenly' thing. But it was nice, she hadn't talked to someone for so long and as sounded as that sounded it was so true.

"Not that one. It just eats." Sky answered, watching as the doctor went back to desperately reading the script. But he kept taking breaks to look up into the black hole.

"Long way from home." Sky looked at Rose for a second and for the first time felt sympathy, she must have been more scared than them. She had a home to go to, she had people who she missed and would miss her. But all Sky had was the Doctor and he was there with them.

"Go that way." Sky smiled and pointed up to the roof which displayed the stars. "Turn right, keep going for er, about, er, five hundred years, and you'll reach the Earth." The girl managed a smile and then pulled something out her pocket. Sky saw and recognised it as a mobile phone.

"No signal. That's the first time we've gone out of range. Mind you, even if I could...What would I tell her?" Sky guess she meant her mother but stayed quiet. "Can you and the Doctor build another Tardis?"

"They were grown, not built." Sky began, shaking her head. "And with our own planet gone, we're kind of stuck. But it could be worse. This lot said they'd give us a lift."

"And then what?" Rose asked. Sky could here it in her tone, the way she too really wanted an answer that was positive and that said she was going to get back home. But sky couldn't give that to her yet.

"I don't know." She answered and looked up to the stars herself as she took a mouthful of the food and grimaced. "Erch." She threw her fork down before pushing the plate away from herself and hearing Rose laughing. "Really, don't try the blue." They fell into silence for a short while, until Rose took a deep breath and opened her mouth.

"So...you and the Doctor?" She started. "You're really married?" Sky smirked at the girl and sat back in her chair.

"Well, bonded." Sky spoke quietly. "Only you humans call it marriage, but Time Lords bond. It's...it's technically the same thing just, less privacy." She laughed and began to play with her hand which sat atop the table.

"And...what's that mean?" Rose shook her head and leaned in closer to Sky.

"It's like...Time Lords were very big fans of strange rules." She began to laugh. "We can only share our names with our family, and then our bonded...and when you choose...you know." Sky trailed off while watching the a Doctor. "Someone...you bond...telepathically. And that's the only person you really have that with. It's...very strange."

"So what you can like talk.." Rose smiled a little and pointed to Sky's head.

"Yeah, I mean you can telepathically connect to any other Time Lord if you establish a link but...only the person you choose to bond to is always there, it's emotionally linked. You can tell how they're feeling all the time. No matter where they are or what they're doing."

"That must be strange." Rose breathed out calmly.

"It is, it has its negatives and positives. There's no hiding anything. But it can be fun." She began to laugh quite a lot as some memories came flooding back to her. "So, for example, just a little bit of paranoia." Looking over at the Doctor, Sky bit her lip and concentrated.

'Dooooccctttooorrrr.' She tried hard to keep her voice low and in a log whisper so he wouldn't recognise her voice.

"It may have been a while but I'm not stupid." The Doctor spoke up loudly with his back still to them. It may not have worked but both women still started laughing while he turned to look over his shoulder and smile at them.

"But seriously..." Rose smiled after they calmed again. "How long were you...? I mean he, the Doctor, he said something a while ago. That he used to have a family. He said he was a dad once." The words stung, but Sky tried to hide it knowing that Rose had meant no harm, she was just curious.

She felt her eyes begin to water and dropped her head to stare at the table. "Including the time we weren't together and up until now? ... 597 years." Rose's jaw dropped. "Bet he can't tell you that." Sky laughed but it was empty. "And...yeah...he was but. That's gone now, it's a er...story for another time maybe." Rose understood and nodded, leaning back into her chair as a shadow fell over them.

"I can't get anything from those markings, it's no use. We need more information." The silence that greeted him was unusual and when he noticed Rose's sheepish look and Sky with her hair hanging over her face, he frowned. "What's wrong? Has something happened?"

"No no." Sky fixed herself up and smiled up at the Doctor. "Erm, Rose was just asking how long we had been er, bonded. I told her you wouldn't remember." She smirked across at the other girl knowingly.

"Of course I can!" With his hands in his pockets, the Doctor squirmed and his voice got all high pitched. "What kind of bonded do you take me for?"

"You couldn't remember after just one year..." Sky pointed out, her eyes narrowed at him dangerously.

"Alright, yes, fine...but that was a very long year." The Doctor squinted. "But I still know."

"Well go one then, prove me wrong." Sky chuckled and waited for him to give her the wrong answer. Knowing him...he'd be out by about...150 years.

"597 years." He said with a straight face before a small smile working its way onto his lips. Sky just stared at him, surprised but also touched. He remembered? And with a number like that he had to keep count year by year. He hadn't forgotten her, like all those nightmare thoughts had told her while she was searching for him alone in her TARDIS.

"Well done." Sky smirked and blushed slightly. "Gold star." The couple were interrupted as Rose's phone started to ring from its position on the table. The young girl eyes it for a second before picking it up to answer the call and hold the device to her ear. But with a jump, Rose held the phone away and then threw it to the ground.

"What? What was it?" The Doctor asked urgently, eyeing the phone.

"I don't know What! It was a voice...a weird voice." Rose shook her head looking panicked and looked up to the Doctor. "It said...He is awake." Both Time Lords looked to each other before looking to the phone.

"That's strange..." Sky hummed. "The Ood...when I was getting food one of them said. He said 'The Beast and his Armies shall rise from the Pit to make war against God'."

"Well then, maybe we should give the Ood a visit?" The Doctor said and without any further word, headed out door 18.

"Evening." Sky heard the Doctor greet as they've entered the Ood habitation.

"Only us." Rose was grinning, but sky stayed behind, scanning over every detail for just the slightest thing which was out of place.

"The mysterious visitors. How are you, then? Settling in?" It was Danny stood above all of the Ood, keeper of the Ood almost.

"Yeah. Sorry, straight to business, the Ood how do they communicate? I mean, with each other." The Doctor asked, hands in pockets as he watched Danny and looked at the screen where he was working.

"Empaths. There's a low level telepathic field connecting them." Sky answered as she came to stand next to Rose and looked down of the rows of Oods. "Not that that does them much good. They're basically a herd race. Like cattle." Both Rose and the Doctor slowly turned her head to look at her, both of them looking slightly dumbfounded.

"Sounds like you don't really need me." Danny joked, looking over at Sky himself.

"Oh we do, because this telepathic field..." Sky turned and walked over to the station Danny was working out. "Can it pick up messages?"

"Because she was having dinner, and one of the Ood said something, well, odd." Rose said,cook ting nervously down at the Ood as if she was going to offend them.

"Hmm. An odd Ood." Danny pursed his lips but shook his head, also looking down at the Ood.

"And then I got something else on my er, communicator thing."

"Oh, be fair. We've got whole star systems burning up around us. There's all sorts of stray transmissions." Transmissions about beasts being awake? Sky wasn't convinced and neither was the Doctor. "Probably nothing. Look, if there was something wrong, it would show. We monitor the telepathic field. It's the only way to look after them. They're so stupid, they don't even tell us when they're ill."

"Monitor the field. That's this thing?" The Doctor asked, pointing the screen behind Danny.

"Yeah. But like she said." Danny nodded over at Sky. "It's low level telepathy. They only register basic five." The Doctor pulled out his glasses and studied the screen as the number began to jump up steadily.

"Well, that's not basic five." The Doctor said and Sky turned to watch the screen herself before looking back to the Ood. "Ten, twenty. They've gone up to basic thirty." The Ood all lifted their head and stared at the four figures above them.

"But they can't." Danny shook his head,crushing back to his station.

"Doctor, the Ood." Rose whispered as they all stood from the benches they rested on and turned to face them, still staring upwards. "What does basic thirty mean?"

"Well, it means that they're shouting, screaming inside their heads." Danny explained.

"Or something's shouting at them." Sky muttered, biting her lip.

"But where is it coming from? What is it saying?" Danny was typing rapidly on the computer as he spoke. "What did it say to you?"

"Something about the beast in the pit." Sky answered, her face never changing from a serious frown.

"What about your communicator? What did that say?"

"He is awake."

"And you will worship him." All the Ood spoke at once. It was easily disturbing, like a battle army was stood beneath them and ready to attack.

"What the hell?" Danny spat, putting his hands on the metal railing as he looked down at the Ood.

"He is awake." The Doctor repeated again.

"And you will worship him." The Ood all chanted together once more.

"Worship who?" He asked but this time he was only met with silence. "Who's talking to you? Who is it?" Before the Ood even had a chance to reply, the base started to rapidly shake beneath them, cause all four of them to stumble.

"Emergency hull breach. Emergency hull breach." The computer spoke out across the whole base.

"Which section?" Sky heard Danny ask into his wrist piece as The Doctor grabbed Rose by the waist helping her stand steady. Once she was supported by the metal guard, he stumbled to Sky put a hand on her shoulder, checking she was alright.

"Everyone, evacuate eleven to thirteen. We've got a breach. The base is open. Repeat, the base is open!" That was the last thing they heard through the base intercom before they all started to run, literally run for their lives.


	7. The Impossible Planet Part 3

The Doctor, a Sky, Rose and Danny were all running. All desperately trying not to stumble and fall. Danny led the group through the maze of doors while the doctor stayed at the back, making sure none of the women fell behind. They had almost made it.

"I can't contain the oxygen field. We're going to lose it." Zach's voice shouted over the intercom again, making them push forward even fasted.

"Come on! Keep moving!" Mr Jefferson screamed as the air rushed past him. The four of them all managed to squeeze through the door just in time as the rest of the crew converged in the small narrow corridor from different directions.

"And you too, Toby!" Toby literally fell through the door and finally Jefferson closed the door behind hind them. Calmness surrounded them, the only sound being the crew catching their breath.

"Everyone all right?!" The Doctor exclaimed, looking around desperately, his eyes finally focusing on Sky who has a hand put to her chest. "What happened? What was it?"

"Oxygen levels normal." It may have been true but it didn't feel like it to Sky. She hadn't had to run like that for a long time...a very very long time.

"Hull breach. We were open to the elements. Another couple of minutes and we'd have been inspecting that black hole at close quarters." Jefferson answered as he fell back, leaning against the door.

"That wasn't a quake." Sky gasped, her jest still heaving."What caused it?"

"We've lost sections eleven to thirteen Everyone all right?" Zach's voice sounded, he even sounded out of breath and he'd just been sat there.

"We've got everyone here except Scooti." Jefferson reported and then pressed a button on his communicator. "Scooti, report." They were greeted with static. "Scooti Manista? That's an order. Report." But nothing came through again.

"She's all right. I've picked up her biochip. She's in Habitation three." Zach said, and Ida let out a sigh of relief. "Better go and check if she's not responding. She might be unconscious."

"Habitation three." Jefferson sighed, standing up straight and taking a final second to get himself together. "Come on. I don't often say this, but I think we could all do with a drink. Come on." As the rest of the crew followed, Sky watched as the Doctor slowly strolled over to Toby who was still in a ball on the floor, Rose rubbing his back.

"What happened?" He asked, linking his hands together as he watched Toby.

"I don't- I don't know. I was working and then I can't remember." He was staring at the ground with wide eyes, seemingly the most affected by this. "All that noise. The room was falling apart. There was no air."

"Come on. Up you get." Rose said as she pulled him up from the grated metal. "Come and have some protein one." The Doctor laughed as Rose led Toby off but then turned to Sky as they were left alone.

"You alright?" He smiled at her, though his eyes showed worry.

"Yeah, course...I just...I forgot about the running." She joked and straightened herself out. "I've gotten very unfit in my old age."

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." The Doctor smiled and put his hand on her shoulder, pulling Sky closer and then letting his hand drift down her arm to hold her hand. "Come on." They walked quite briskly together to catch up to the other until they entered area Habitation 3, their hands detaching from each others just before they stepped through the open door and into pure mayhem.

"I've checked Habitation four. Can you hear me?" Ida spoke, pacing circles around the area.

"There's no sign of her. The biochip says she's in the area. Have any of you seen Scooti?" Jefferson panicked, reaching for Toby's arms.

No, no, no, I don't think so."Toby nodded, arms wrapped around himself in fear.

"Scooti, please respond. If you can hear this, please respond. Habitation six." Ida tried again.

"Nowhere here." Mr Jefferson shook his head and raised his communicator to speak into."Zach? We've got a problem. Scooti's still missing."

"It says Habitation three." Zach replied from the control room.

"Yeah, well, that's where I am, and I'm telling you she's not here." Jefferson answered, looking around him again as if she would somehow appear before their eyes. The Doctor left Sky's side slowly and her eyes followed him, watching him until she finally looked up to what he seemed to be staring at.

"Oh my god." Sky gasped under her breath and staggered back a few steps.

"I've found her." The rest of the crew looked up through the shield which had been left open and saw her. Scotti floating so slowly towards the black hole which was slowly pulling her in. She looked so peaceful but Sky could sense the horror that ripped through the whole crew. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Captain. Report Officer Scootori Manista PKD, deceased. Forty three K two point one." As Jefferson informed the captain of their unfortunate discovery, the rest of the team were silent, a moment of respect for their lost friend.

"She was twenty. Twenty years old." Ida shook her head and then walked over, closing the shield.

"For how should man die better than facing fearful odds? For the ashes of his father and the temples of his Gods." The Doctor looked over his shoulder, back at Rose and Sky but neither of them noticed. Then the room fell into a real silence as the ground beneath them shuddered lightly.

"It's stopped." Ida said, looking around at the rest of them.

"What was that?" Rose asked and went to stand directly in front of the Doctor. "What was it?"

"The drill." He answered, eyebrows raised.

"We've stopped drilling. We've made it. Point Zero."

"All non essential Oods to be confined." The tannoy sounded overhead. Sky stood by the capsule which would soon be lowered down the full ten miles that had been tackled by the drills. She was watching everyone work, trying to keep out of the way with Rose, but kept taking notes on everything they were doing.

"Capsule established. All systems functioning. The mineshaft is go. Bring systems online now." Ida said, stepping out of the capsule and going over to the monitor station.

"Reporting as a volunteer for the expeditionary force." Sky heard the Doctor before she saw him and she wished she hadn't saw him as her hearts jumped in her chest at the sight of him stood in a spacesuit.

"Doctor, this is breaking every single protocol. We don't even know who you are." Zach spoke having emerged out of the control room to watch of over the mission.

"Yeah, but you trust me, don't you?" The Doctor smiled. "And you can't let Ida go down there on her own. Go on. Look me in the eye." He said and Zach looked at him. "Yes you do, I can see it. Trust."

"I should be going down." He sighed.

"The Captain doesn't lead the mission. He stays here, in charge." The Doctor could sense Sky's eyes on him, he also felt the moment that fear enveloped her slightly through the hum now constantly there in the back of his head.

"Not much good at it, am I? Positions! We're going down in two. Everyone, positions! Mister Jefferson! I want maximum system enhancement." Zach said as he passed the different crew members on the way back to the control room. Whereas the Doctor moved over to Sky who was now eyeing his suit over.

"Oxygen, nitro balance, gravity." He read out, a bright smile on his face to try and calm her down. "It's ages since I wore one of these." The Doctor sounded excited, and Sky tired to smile but she couldn't help but feel worried. It was a natural instinct.

"You going to be alright?" Sky asked, standing up straight and taking the helmet out from under his arm, checking it over.

"I'm sure of it. I'll be back in no time and I'll get us out of here." He spoke and turned so he was stood directly in front of Sky. "I'll take us somewhere a bit less...deadly." Finally she chuckled a bit and looked up to him. "Besides, we have this..." The Doctor smiled and tapped on her temple. "If anything happens, I'm still there."

"Is that a promise?" Sky asked seriously, swallowing hard.

"Promise." The Doctor grinned and pulled her into a hug.

"I want that spacesuit back in one piece, you got that?" Rose's voice made them pull apart as they both turned to her.

"Yes, sir." He saluted sarcastically.

"It's funny, because people back home think that space travel's going to be all whizzing about and teleports and anti gravity, but it's not, is it?" Rose's voice shook as she spoke."It's tough."

"I'll see you later." He said sadly.

"Not if I see you first." She finally smiled, but it soon dropped as The Doctor's eyes locked on Sky's.

"Don't do anything stupid." She spoke softly, focusing mostly on the helmet she held. She was nervous, this reminded her too much of something which had happened before and it was hurting.

"Now, when have I ever done anything stupid?" The Doctor joked but she was met with the seriously glare from his bonded. "Fair enough..." He shrugged and bent down a bit as Sky reached up to place the helmet over his head, locking it in place

'_Come back' _She whispered the words even inside her head. Not wanting Rose to hear but not wanting to appear too forward to Theta himself.

'_I will, I'm not leaving you this time.' _The Doctor looked at her through the helmet, only smiling when she grabbed his helmet and pulled him down to place a kiss upon the glass. Nothing else was said after that, even Rose was silent.

They both stood together, Sky and Rose, watching as Ida and the Doctor climbed into the capsule which was sealed shut with them both inside.

"Capsule active. Counting down in ten, nine." Zach began the countdown over the tannoy. Sky felt her heart rate increase and took a deep breath. "Eight, seven, six..." Jefferson checked the capsule door a final time before stepping away. They were on their own now. "Five, four, three, two, one. Release." The capsule was lowered, the cable unwinding. Rose waved to the Doctor and Sky managed a final slow smile as the capsule went out of view. Mind it hadn't been two seconds and Rose had already run over to the monitor, checking their progress on the screen while clutching the comm in her grasp.

"You've gone beyond the oxygen field. You're on your own." They all heard Zach say through the communicator.

"Don't forget to breath." Rose said, breathing heavily herself and she bounced up and down with nerves."Breathing's good." It was then that Sky saw it, the care in Rose's eyes, the fear. She really cared for him.

"Rose, stay off the comm." Zach told her.

"No chance." The girl wasn't taking any of it. Suddenly, the capsule rope shuddered and they heard the rattling noise down the drilling hole as the cable dropped a little way. "Doctor?" Rose shouted into the Comm. "Doctor, are you all right?" Sky still felt the hum and that was enough to keep her calm.

"Ida, report to me. Doctor?"

"It's all right. We've made it." The Doctors voice came through over the comm. "Getting out of the capsule now." Rose sighed with relief and pressed the button for the communicator.

"What's it like down there?" She asked.

"It's hard to tell. Some sort of cave. Cavern. It's massive." They all wished they could see what he was describing.

"That's, that's. My God, that's beautiful." Ida breathed, after lighting up the cave with a globe. They could see everything now, every carving and each curve of the rock that had been shaped into pillars and statues.

'_You would love this' _The sudden words in her head surprised Sky, so much so she had to look around to make sure it actually had been only in her head.

_'Would I? And whys that?' _She smiled as she sent the message back, chuckling lightly.

'_Because I know you were always find on old and beautiful things.'_ He was right, as he was. And she was surprised he even remembered. For some reason she had this idea that he had just completely wiped her out of his memories. Maybe it was because they had both regenerated and looked completely different? Sky didn't really know, but slowly was beginning to realise it was all still there.

"Rose, you can tell Toby we've found his civilisation." His voice came, much less clearly, through the comm.

"Oi, Toby. Sounds like you've got plenty of work." The girl shouted over her shoulder to the blonde man.

"Good, good. Good." He murmured and looked up when he felt Sky's eyes staying on him just a little too long in questioning.

"Concentrate now, people. Keep on the mission." Zach's voice came through the system clearly, and Sky pushed Toby to the back of her head."Ida, what about the power source?"

"We're close. Energy signature indicates north north west. Are you getting pictures up there?"

"There's too much interference. We're in your hands."

"Well, we've come this far." Ida spoke to them."There's no turning back."

"Oh, did you have to? No turning back? That's almost as bad as nothing can possible go wrong," Sky felt herself chuckling aloud at The Doctor, until Rose turned and looked at her curiously. At that point she silenced herself. "or this is going to be the best Christmas Walford's ever had."

"Captain, sir. There's something happening with the Ood." Danny's voice came over the tannoy this time, causing everyone to become attentive.

They heard Zach sigh into the comm before replying. "What are they doing?"

"They're staring at me. I've told them to stop, but they won't."

"Danny, you're a big boy. I think you can take being stared at." A few of the crew members smirked in the drilling room but Sky stayed still, making sure to listen.

"But the telepathic field, sir." Danny's voice sounded breathless and picnicked. "It's at basic one hundred. I've checked. there isn't any fault. It's definitely one hundred."

"But that's impossible." Sky spoke up in time as Zach said the exact same words.

"What's basic one hundred mean?" Rose turned to Sky for the answer, having her her just speak.

"They should be dead." Squinting, Sky walked over to the comm and lightly took it from Rose's hands. "Basic one hundred's brain death?"

"But they're safe. They're not actually moving?" Zach asked Danny who paused for a brief moment.

"No, sir." Well that was...good news. So they had God knows how many screaming 'should be' brain dead Oods on board but they were just standing there staring at people.

"Keep watching them. And you, Jefferson?" Zach spoke as the crew in the drilling area started to easily watch the Ood that were around themselves. "Keep a guard on the Ood."

"Officer at arms!" Jefferson confirmed and held his gun in a better position for immediate action.

"You can't fire a gun in here." Rose was close to screaming at the older man. "What if you hit a wall?"

"I'm firing stock fifteen. It only impacts upon organics. Keep watch. Guard them." A female guard behind Jefferson nodded and also readied her gun. In that second the air grew that much more tense around Sky. She didn't want gun fire to have to be an option.

"Is everything all right up there?" They all remembered the Doctor at that moment and Rose swung back around to the monitor.

"Yeah, yeah." She replied, even plastering in a smile to make it sound more sincere.

"It's fine." Zach confirmed.

"Great." Out of everyone, he sounded the least confident.

"Right...We've found something. It looks like metal. Like some sort of seal. I've got a nasty feeling the word might be trapdoor." The Doctor hissed through his teeth."Not a good word, trapdoor. Never met a trapdoor I liked."

"The edge is covered with those symbols." Ida informed. Everyone back up at the face just felt utterly helpless though, they couldn't see so they couldn't really get a good idea at what really was going on. And to top it off they may be near having a crucial Ood problem.

"Do you think it opens?" Zach asked the pair down at point zero.

"That's what trapdoors tend to do." Sky could picture the Doctor shrugging hopelessly but with his serious face on. That face which always came out no matter whether it was when he was trying to open an ancient trap door or a jar of pickles.

"Trapdoor doesn't do it justice." Ida spoke this time."It's massive, Zach. About thirty feet in diameter."

"Any way of opening it?" Zach asked again.

"I don't know. I can't see any sort of mechanism." She replied. To the team up above they were just voices, they could have been hallucinating the whole thing or anything, but they had to listen and try to help them.

"I suppose that's the writing. It'll tell us what to do." The Doctor said."The letters that defy translation." Turning around, Sky looked at Toby who was still sat near off to the side of the room fidgeting nervously.

"Toby, did you get anywhere with decoding it?" Zach asked, but Toby never even lifted his head.

"Toby?" Sky spoke cautiously, trying not to startle the man even more. "They need to know that lettering. Does it make any sort of sense?"

"I know what it says." He nodded eventually, still not looking up from his hands.

"When did you work that out?" Zach asked curiously, almost reading Sky's mind, this was a big discovery...especially since he hadn't known it earlier that day. Why hadn't he said anything?

"It doesn't matter, just tell them." Rose exclaimed and nodded at the monitor she was practically guarding. But they all watching in horror as Toby stood and turned to face them, markings covering his face and hands. They were the same marking as that language and his eyes glowed red.

"These are the words of the Beast. And he has woken. He is the heart that beats in the darkness. He is the blood that will never cease. And now he will rise." The voice that spoke wasn't Toby's, whatever it was, was using his body as some sort of shell.

"Officer, stand down." Jefferson shouted, pushing himself in front of the woman."Stand down."

"What is it? What's he done? What's happening?" The Doctor asked through the comm."Sky, what's going on?" Even if there wasn't static, they were all too busy watching Toby like Hawks though.

"Jefferson? Report. Report!" Zach yelled over the tannoy, causing the silence in the drilling area to break.

"Officer, as Commander of Security, I order you to stand down and be confined. Immediately!" Mr Jefferson took control and raised his gun at Toby, making sure everyone else was back.

"He's come out in those symbols all over his face." Rose got back to the comm and notified the Doctor. "They're all over him."

"Mister Jefferson. Tell me, sir. Did your wife ever forgive you?" The older man's face felt and the two women felt immediate sympathy for him being targeted by whatever was inside Toby.

"I don't know what you mean." He shook his head with a whisper leaving his mouth.

"Let me tell you a secret." Toby's mouth spread out in a sadistic grin. "She never did." Everyone swallowed hard, they would dare interfere with whatever was being brought up with

Jefferson. But Toby looked so angry...so so angry.

"Officer, you stand down and be confined." He only took a second to compose himself as Toby stepped forward so his chest touched the barrel of the gun. "Or under the strictures of Condition Red, I am authorised to shoot you." Jefferson warned Toby...or the thing that was in his and took the safety off his gun.

"But how many can you kill?" Toby opened his mouth after he threatened them and the symbols started to drain from his skin. They left Toby and were absorbed by the Ood who instantly jerked to attention.

"We are the Legion of the Beast." All of the Ood now started to chant, just like Toby had. Their eyes were red and they way they just stood there, slowly turning to stare, was very uncomfortable.

"Rose? Sky? What is it?" The Doctor received no answer, no one was answering. "I'm going back up."

"Report. Report!" Zach called through the tannoy desperately. "Jefferson, report. Someone, report!"

"The Legion shall be many, and the Legion shall be few." The Ood all stood together, sharing one voice.

"It's the Ood." Rose spoke after finally getting her hands on the comm.

"Sir, we have contamination in the livestock." Jefferson spoke thought his wrist device to the captain.

"Doctor, I don't know what it is. It's like they're possessed." Rose was whispering into the Comm, watching the Ood closely.

"He has woven himself in the fabric of your life since the dawn of time. Some may call him Abaddon. Some may call him Kroptor. Some may call him Satan or Lucifer..." Sky repeated the words in her head, slowly becoming more confused. The beast? Satan? What the hell had they lowered the Doctor and is a down to? "Or the Bringer of Despair, the Deathless Prince, the Bringer of Night. These are the words that shall set him free."

"Set him free?" Sky repeated, think for s moment before her eyes grew wide. The trap door.

'_Theta! The door, whatever they're talking about is through that door!'_

'_What are they saying?'_

_'A lot of things...satan, lucifer, the bringer of night.' _Sky sighed, watching the Ood and trying not to think of what was down there with the a doctor. '_Be careful, whatever's down there won't be good'_

_'Don't worry, I'm coming back.'_

"Back up to the door!" Jefferson broke through Sky's thoughts, telling as the Ood started to approach them slowly, still rambling off nonsense.

"I shall become manifest."

"Move quickly!" Sky and Rose both retreated to the door, Rose trying to force the door open but it wasn't budging easily.

"I shall walk in might." Oh would they just shut up already.

"To the door! Get it open!" They were trying! All of them were trying but with Rose's hands fumbling nervously they were having no luck with a quick getaway.

"My Legions shall swarm across the worlds." Then the ground started to shake. As if there wasn't already enough to worry about.

"We're moving!" Zach shouted at them through the system. "The whole thing's moving. The planet's moving."

"I am the sin and the temptation and the desire. I am the pain and the loss and the-"

"Get that door open!" Jefferson yelled, aiming at each Ood individually, moving the aim every few seconds.

"The gravity field. It's going! We're losing orbit!" What the hell was happening! Sky looked to Rose before finally to Jefferson and for the first time she started to wish she had just stayed inside the watch. "We're going to fall into the black hole!"

"I have been imprisoned for eternity. But no more." The Ood were still speaking, Sky doubted that anyone was still listening. Getting the door open was more important.

"Door sealed." The computer spoke calmly.

"Come on!" Rose turned from the Ood and started to try and help with the door.

"Door sealed." Together they all started screaming at the door. There was almost no room left. Jefferson was running out of time and ground to back up on. The Ood were still rambling. Everything was closing in. They were running out of time. If fact, they might have already run out.

To Be Continued...


	8. The Satan Pit Part 1

"Open fire!" Jefferson had waited all he could, he was giving whatever it was a chance and the Ood a chance. But they were out of time. He and the other guard opened fire at the small amount of Ood coming for them, all of them falling to the floor, lifeless.

"We're stabilising." Zach was still there, keeping them all up to date with what was happening. "We've got orbit."

With all of the Ood now down and not a threat, Rose wasted no time in running around Sky and Jefferson, going back to the intercom. "Doctor? Doctor, can you hear me?" There was no response."Doctor, Ida, are you there?" Sky would have been worried, God knows what was happening down there. But she could still feel him there...and he was...curious? Well that had to be better than scared.

"Open door 25." The four of them spun around and backed away from the door, Jefferson and the guard arming themselves again and preparing to shoot.

"It's me!" Danny shouted out, holding up his arms in surrender. "But they're coming." As soon as he was through the door he slammed it behind him and began locking it again.

"Close door 25." Their hearts were still racing from thinking they had more visitors. Sky felt like she was running on pure adrenalin now, she hadn't slept in...days. She had barely eaten. And...she just wanted to see the Doctor right now.

_'Aw you are sweet.' _A blush rose to her cheek and he wasn't even in the room.

'_How did you do that?' _She also shrieked at him in her head, trying hard not to smirk to herself. She would probably look mad amongst all the action which was going on.

_'I was always good and knowing how you felt. I know better than you sometimes.' _It was nice, being able to do this in the middle of chaos. He would always be there.

_'I know you do.'_ She laughed, nodding her head to herself. He was right, he had always been able to do that. If something was bothering her and she didn't know what, he would be able to wrap his arms around her and explain to her just what it was. She was happy, he knew what had made her smile. It was like he was magic. '_How are things going down there?' _She choose to direct the conversation away from her feeling and back to the situation at hand.

'_Ohh, you know...big trap door opening with nothing inside' _The Doctor answered, with his voice she could easily picture him standing in front of her. '_You keep safe'_

_'I will...I'll try at least. Rose as well, I'll make sure she stays about of trouble.' _Sky said as she glanced at the young girl stood by the comm, desperately trying to reach out to the Doctor. She felt bad, being able to know he was safe so easily.

_'I won't be long_' That was all he said before the voice faded back to a hum.

"It's the Ood. They've gone mad." Sky heard Danny say as she tuned back into what the humans were saying.

"How many of them?" Jefferson asked.

"All of them! All fifty!" There were 50 Ood aboard? But there was only a dozen crew member to start, why the hell did they need 50 Ood.

"Danny, out of the way." Jefferson said, going to the door."Out of the way!" He defended when the younger boy refused to move.

"But they're armed! It's the interface device. I don't know how, but they're using it as a weapon." Jefferson ignored Danny and the door was unlocked and opened, but the Ood were there already. Before anything could even be done to stop it, the lead Ood lifted and held the globe to the female guards head. She immediately emitted a shrill scream and dies instantly, collapsing on the floor. Jefferson started shooting then, some of the Oods falling to the floor.

"Lock down." Zach spoke through the tannoy.

"Lock down. Door 1." The computer started counting as it locked down all the doors on the base, sealing then so they were as secure as possible.

"Jefferson, what's happening there?" The captain asked sounding rushed off his feet.

"I've got very little ammunition, sir. How about you?" Jefferson replied as he checked over his gun.

"All I've got is a bolt gun." That wasn't good news to hear. "With er, all of one bolt. I could take out a grand total of one Ood. Fat lot of good that is."

"Given the emergency I recommend strategy nine." Sky's ears perked up.

"Strategy Nine? Agreed." She frowned when nothing else was said on the matters she needed to find out what that was. "Right, we need to get everyone together. Rose? What about Ida and theDoctor? Any word?"

"I can't get a reply. Just nothing. I keep trying, but it's-" sky went to speak up to tell them all the Doctor and their friend was fine but static sounded before she good and the Doctors voice ran through the system.

"No, sorry, I'm fine. Still here."

"You could've said, you stupid-" static feedback rang in a high pitched whine.

"Whoa. Careful!" He called out. Rose laughed and she seemed close to hugging the monitor. "Anyway, it's both of us. Me and Ida. Hello. But the seal opened up. It's gone. All we've got left is this chasm."

"How deep is it?" Zach was the first to ask what was on everyone's minds.

"Can't tell. It looks like it goes down forever." The Doctor said and Sky hoped to avoid he wasn't looking right over the edge like she knew he would be so tempted to do.

"The pit is open." Rose mumbled under her breath. "That's what the voice said."

"But there's nothing. I mean...There's nothing coming out?" Zach asked, and to be honest it was a little bit of an anti climax. After all the talk of beasts and Satan and pits...for there to be nothing there was just a little...dare Sky say it...disappointing.

"No, no. No sign of the Beast." The Doctor informed them, slight curiosity lacing his tone.

"It said Satan." Rose whispered into the comm.

"Come on, Rose. Keep it together."

"Is there no such thing? Doctor." There was no reply. "Doctor, tell me there's no such thing."

"Ida?" Zach addressed her. "I recommend that you withdraw. Immediately."

"But, we've come all this way." A disheartened Ida showed signs of being disappointed in the way she talked, it was very understandable. Ten miles underground just to be dragged back up.

"Okay. That was an order. Withdraw." The Captain was serious. "When that thing opened, the whole planet's shifted. One more inch and we fall into the black hole. So this thing stops right now."

"But it's not much better up there with the Ood." Sky had to admit, the woman had a point there.

"I'm initiating strategy nine, so I need the two of you back up top immediately, no arguments." There was a long pause before the crew were met with static. One of them had turned off the transmission. "Ida. Ida!" They had lost contact. Well...at least they had for a few moments because then a bleep sounded and the Doctor returned.

"We're coming back." It was the simplest but best sentence Sky had ever heard.

"Best news I've heard all day." Rose grinned, at least she did until she turned and saw the scene Sky had been watching for a while. Jefferson was standing over Toby with his rifle aimed at his head.

"What're you doing?" The young girl questioned.

"He brought that thing on board. You saw it." The old man reasoned, barely even blinking as he watched Toby who was sprawled out on the floor.

"Are you going to start shooting your own people now, Is that what you're going to do? Is it?"

"If necessary." Sky had been very quiet recently, ever since this whole thing kicked off actually, but she was listening very closely to each of them. Thinking. There had to be a way out of this...there had to be.

"Well then, you'll have to shoot me if necessary, so what's it going to be? Look at his face." Rose nodded down to Toby who was beginning to cower away from Jefferson. "Whatever it was, is gone. It passed into the Ood. You saw it happen. He's clean."

"Any sign of trouble, I'll shoot him." He warned but then stepped away, walking to the other end of the room. Sky studied the boy very very closely as Rose dropped to the floor and hugged him. He did look scared, she'd give him that but...she didn't know...something... Oh it was probably just her being paranoid.

"Okay, we're in. Bring us up." Ida's voice came over the comm and Sky left Rose and Toby to join Mr Jefferson next to the monitor.

"Ascension in three, two, one." The minute he went to press the button, the power went out.

"This is the darkness. This is my domain." The monitored flickered with images of the Ood. "You little things that live in the light, clinging to your feeble suns which die in the-"

"That's not the Ood." Sky spoke after picking up the tannoy."Something's talking through them."

"Only the darkness remains." The voice finished and she frowned, studying hard at the monitors for something which wasn't there.

"This is Captain Zachary Cross Flane of Sanctuary Base Six, representing the Torchwood archive. You will identify yourself." It was pointless, there was no reasoning with this creature...whatever it was. It would just talk and talk without ever listening to a single word.

"You know my name." The voice replied.

Before Zach could speak up again, Sky pressed down the button on the comm and spoke with a force she hadn't used in a long time. Or in, as the Doctor would call it, her mother voice. "What do you want?"

'_Careful Lelia' _Theta whispered.

"You will die here." Point proven, her question totally avoided."All of you. This planet is your grave."

"It's him. It's him. It's him." Toby began freaking out, rocking back and forwards with his hands over his ears.

"If you are the Beast, then answer me this." Sky tried again, turning and leaning back on the monitor so she could keep her eyes on the boy. "Which one, hmm? Because the universe has been busy since you've been trapped away in that pit There's more religions than there are planets in the sky..." She drifted a little, but didn't leave enough of a pause to be interrupted. "The Archiphets, Orkology, Christianity, Pash Pash, New Judaism, San Klah, Church of the Tin Vagabond...Which devil are you?" She asked and finally she was satisfied as an answer came.

"All of them."

"What, then you're the truth behind the myth?" She questioned, looking up to the roof of the base. She hadn't done this in a long time, she needed to gather strength from somewhere.

"This one knows me as I know her. The runaway which left her own kind to die."

'_Ignore it. Keep going, you're doing well.' _Her stomach had twisted into knots but hearing Theta helped push her forward, he gave her some strength.

"How did you end up on this rock?" Sky forced herself to go on, ignoring the creatures comment and directing the attention back onto itself.

"The Disciples of the Light rose up against me and chained me in the pit for all eternity." So there was something in the pit?

"When was this?" She frowned.

"Before time."

"What does that mean?" Sky rolled her eyes helplessly, these type of creatures would always be so...cocky.

"Before time." It repeated itself.

"What does before time mean?" Sky raised her voice. Rose was watching Sky with much curiosity. She had never thought the woman could be so forceful. She had been so quiet when all the stuff with the Ood had happened that Rose was actually questioning whether she was actually a Time Lord, but looking at her now.

"Before light and time and space and matter." The voice explained deeply and she listened to every syllable. "Before the cataclysm. Before this universe was created."

"That's impossible." Sky answered, shaking her head rapidly as her patience started to slip."No life could have existed back then."

"Is that your religion?" Oh, maybe now they were actually getting somewhere interesting.

"It's a belief." She answered slowly and honestly.

"You know nothing." Well that was rude, she knew more than this beast which had been hiding since the before time."All of you, so small. The Captain, so scared of command." And there it went, on its way to create a path of destruction amongst the crew. "The soldier, haunted by the eyes of his wife. The scientist, still running from Daddy. The little boy who lied. The virgin. And the lost girl, so far away from home. The valiant child who will die in battle so very soon."

"Sky, what does that mean?" Rose's voice was a shaky whimper as the woman just looked at her, trying to hide her sympathy.

"Rose, don't listen." Was all she could reply.

"Doctor? What does it mean?" The girl tried again with the Doctor, hoping he would give her more information.

"You will die and I will live." The voice talked again before the image of the Ood on the screen was replaced with a roaring beast. Sky just managed to catch the image as she turned around before the screen went blank.

"What the hell was that?" Danny panicked, running up to Sky for answers.

"I had that thing inside my head!" Toby yelled and started hitting his head.

"Doctor, what did it mean?" Rose tried again, talking desperately into the comm.

"What do we do? Sky?" Danny asked again, all of them crowding around her as she had been the one to speak to the beast which had just dug around in all their pasts.

"Captain? What's the situation on strategy nine?" Jefferson spoke into his device.

"Zach, what do we do?"

"The planet, the orbit, the black hole. Everything's true."

"Captain, report."

"We've lost pictures, Mister Jefferson."

"Doctor, how did it know all of-"

"Did anyone get an analy-"

"Jefferson."

"Stop." Sky heard the Doctor speak through the noise..

"What did it mean?"

"Everyone just stop." He tried again but they were all loosing it.

"What do we do?"

"Report."Then feedback was sent through the full system, making everyone shut up finally. Sky guessed she had the Doctor to thank for that.

"You want voices in the dark then listen to mine." The Doctor spoke quietly, taking a few deep breaths."That thing is playing on very basic fears. Darkness, childhood nightmares, all that stuff."

"But that's how the devil works." Danny interrupted the Doctor.

"Or a good psychologist."

"Yeah, but how did it know about my father?" They weren't listening and Sky was growing close to banging their head together.

"Okay, but what makes his version of the truth any better than mine, hmm?" He hummed into the comm and waited, thankful when no one spoke. "Cos I'll tell you what I can see. Humans. Brilliant humans. Humans who travel all the way across space, flying in a tiny little rocket right into the orbit of a black hole, just for the sake of discovery. That's amazing! Do you hear me?" They could all here the Doctor smiling again. "Amazing, all of you. The Captain, his Officer, his elders, his juniors, his friends. All with one advantage. The Beast is alone. We are not. If we can use that to fight against him."

Before anyone of them realised , the cable to the capsule snapped and fell down into the shaft. Mr Jefferson tried to catch it but it was no use, it had happened so suddenly.

"Doctor, we lost the cable! Doctor, are you all right? Doctor!" Rose screamed into the comm. But he was okay...well he was a live at least according to Sky's connection.

"Comms are down." The captain informed them all but once again Rose was having none of it.

"Doctor? Doctor, can you hear me?"

I've still got life signs, but we've lost the capsule." Did that mean? Sky's hearts began to beat faster then as she realised what that actually meant.

"Say something. Are you there?" Rose was still speaking, hitting the comm in desperation.

"There's no way out. They're stuck down there." Sky bit her lip as she heard Zach's words come from the tannoy, trying her best to not let her eyes become glassy. But it just wasn't fair. She had just got him back.

"But we've got to bring them back." Rose cried, the sadness showing on her face clearly, she made no attempt to hide it.

"They're ten miles down. We haven't got another ten miles of cable." And too make things worse, banging started to sound on the door where the Ood had been gathered. "Captain? Situation report."

"It's the Ood. They're cutting through the door bolts. They're breaking in." Sky watched the door, a light bulb going off in her brain just slightly.

"Yeah, it's the same on door 25."

"How long's it going to take?" Rose asked, her body jumping each time another bang sounded.

"Well, it's only a basic frame, it should take ten minutes." He said as another bolt was cut. "Eight."

"I've got a security frame. It might last a bit longer, but that doesn't help you." Zach said, the banging of his own door also sounding through the system.

"I can repair the bolts as they're being cut." Sky spoke as she rummaged in her pockets for her sonic screwdriver before pulling it free. "It'll be slow so I can't hold them back entirely but it'll buy us some time."

"You've had this the whole time and never used it!" Rose exclaimed.

"Hey! It's been a while, I'm still finding my feet." She grinned cheekily and wasted no time in running over to the door, starting from the top bolts which had been cut.

"Right. So we need to stop them, or get out, or both." Rose breathed, trying to push the Doctor to the back of her mind in order to think straight.

"I'll take both, yeah? But how?" Danny sighed, this crew really did get an A plus in giving up today.

"You heard the Doctor. Why do you think that thing cut him off? Cos he was making sense. He was telling you to think your way out of this. Come on! For starters, we need some lights." She said as she looked around her."There's got to be some sort of power somewhere."

"There's nothing I can do. Some Captain, stuck in here, pressing buttons." Zach still talked to them.

"That's what the Doctor meant. Press the right buttons."

"They've gutted the generators. But the rocket's got an independent supply. If I could reroute that. Mister Jefferson? Open the bypass conduits. Override the safety." Sky was busy but she didn't miss the point that the life returned to Zach's voice.

"Opening bypass conduits, sir." And Jefferson followed suit as he jumped to work on the machines.

"Channeling rocket feed in three, two, one. Power." The entire base lit back up and it was so beautiful...well maybe not beautiful but...still...it was a great relief to Sky.

"That's better!" Sky grinned as the buzzing of the sonic continued. "Let there be light!"

"What about that strategy nine thing?" Rose asked. So she had heard it too, Sky had thought she'd been too involved with the Doctors safety.

"Not enough power. It needs a hundred percent."

"All right, we need a way out. Zach, Mister Jefferson, you start working on that. Toby, what about you?" Rose approached the boy who was still stood in the corner, half scared of himself and half still fearing Jefferson.

"I'm not a soldier. I can't do anything." He said and started to walk away before arose caught him.

"No, you're the archeologist. What do you know about the pit?" She was trying hard, just to get one tiny spark of inspiration out of him.

"Well, nothing. We can't even translate the language." Toby jumped when the door banged again and Sky slammed her hand hard onto the door a second later in reply.

"Alright!" She screamed like a madman. But Rose couldn't help but see the Doctor in her in that moment.

"Right." The girl swallowed before turning back to Toby.

"Hold on. Maybe..." Toby looked around him and at his hands, looking up at Rose. "Since that thing was inside my head, it's like the letters made more sense.

"Well, get to work. Anything you can translate, just anything." Rose patted his back and then headed over to Danny finally. "As for you, Danny boy. You're in charge of the Ood. Any way of stopping them?"

"Well, I don't know." Danny answered and glanced at Sky. "You're friend might know, she seemed to know more about them than even I did."

"That's cause I've met one before!" Sky shouted over from the door. "It just so happened that the very little stuff I know related to stuff that has happened. So as for stopping them...pfff no idea!" She was tripping to make Danny want to find out.

"You can find out." Rose spoke to Danny."The sooner we get control of the Base, the sooner we can get the Doctor out. Shift." She playfully kicked Danny into gear.

"Open junctions five, six, seven. Reroute filters sixteen to twenty four. Go." Mr Jefferson spoke as he worked.

"There's all sorts of viruses that could stop the Ood. Trouble is, we haven't got them on board." Danny was talking to Rose.

"Well, that's handy, listing all the things we haven't got. We haven't got a swimming pool either. Or a Tesco's." Right then, the screen started to flash 'affirmative'.

"Oh, my God. It says yes. I can do it. Hypothetically, if you flip the monitor, broadcast a flare, it can disrupt the telepathy. Brainstorm!" Danny cried and it was nice to hear him be happy again after such a long spout of panic.

"What happens to the Ood?" Sky asked from where she was listening, still working on the doors. But the Oods were working quicker than she could keep up with.

"It'll tank them spark out."

"There we are, then. Do it!" Rose cheered. She was getting chirpier by the second and with each step they took forward to getting the doctor and Ida back.

"No, but I'd have to transmit from the central monitor. We need to go to Ood Habitation." Zach smacked his hand down on the monitor he was working on.

"That's what we'll do, then. Mister Jefferson, sir. Any way out?" Rose nodded.

"Not unless that girl has something else tucked away in those pockets." The older man stated.

"Sorry, afraid not!" Sky grinned, unable to contain the excitement as the really adventure started. She was starting to fall back into things and it was making her feel more alive than she had felt in years, spent as a human and a Time Lord.

"But actually...There is a network of maintenance tunnels running underneath the base. We should be able to gain access from here." Jefferson though aloud as he started looking down at the floor.

"Ventilation shafts." Rose spoke.

"Yeah, I appreciate the reference, but there's no ventilation. No air, in fact, at all. They were designed for machines, not life forms." Jefferson sighed as he felt his idea reaching a dead end.

"But I can manipulate the oxygen field from here." Zach spoke up after a period of long silence on his end. "Create discrete pockets of atmosphere. If I control it manually, I can follow you through the network."

"Right, so we go down, and you make the air follow us by hand." Rose didn't seem sure but the idea sounded plausible to Sky. But to be honest, flying out of their sounded plausible when she thought of an Ood sticking that glove to her head.

"You wanted me pressing buttons." Another bang sounded and sky felt the door starting to really loose it's strength.

"Yeah, I asked for it. Okay, we need to get to Ood Habitation. Work out a route."

"Er...we're going to have to move quicker guys!" Sky spoke up as the door rattled further. "They're catching up, I can only promise another...three minutes tops." Without another word, the team sped up. They all continued working and then Mr Jefferson pulled up a piece of the deck grating up for them to drop down into the vent.

"Sky!" Rose called once they were ready and after giving a final buzz to the door, she put the sonic back in her pocket and ran over to the group. "Danny!" Rose called again when the boy made no signs of moving.

"Hold on! Just conforming." He jumped around as the computer did its final work.

"Dan, we got to go now! Come on!" Jefferson yelled as he watched the door which was not visibly starting to loosen.

"Yeah!" Danny grabbed an orange computer chip from the station and finally joined the team who were stood waiting. "Put that in the monitor and it's a bad time to be an Ood." He grinned, waving it in the air before tucking it safely in his pocket.

"We're coming back. Have you got that? We're coming back to this room and we're getting the Doctor out." Rose spoke to them all.

"Okay. Danny, you go first, then you, Miss Tyler, then Sky, then Toby." Jefferson organised them as they each dropped themselves into the tunnel in turn. "I'll go last in defensive position. Now, come on, quick as you can!" They were trapped now in the tunnel...but never the less it was the only way to do something. The only thing they could do that would maybe help the Doctor and Ida.


	9. The Satan Pit Part 2

"Just go straight ahead. Keep going till I say so." Zach spoke to them once they were all down in the tunnel and the hatch had been replaced above them. They heard the door break in only seconds later and they all started rushing along on their hands and knees.

"Not your best angle, Danny." Rose quipped with a light smile.

"Oi, stop it." Danny shouted.

"I don't know, it could be worse." Toby spoke this time.

"Oi!" Sky frowned and had to hold herself back from giving him a swift kick in the face.

"Straight on until you find junction seven point one." Zach broke through their very weak comedy. "Keep breathing. I'm feeding you air. I've got you." They kept crawling and soon hit the closed hatch leading to 7.1.

"We're at seven point one, sir." Jefferson notified the captain.

"Okay, I've got you. I'm just aerating the next section." As they had to wait, Sky took the time to just focus on the Doctors presence at the back of her mind for a moment, feeling it calm her entirely as she tried to catch her breath.

'Theta?' She spoke, hoping for a reply even if it was brief. Little did she know that he was five miles down the pit.

'I'm here Lelia.' That was all she needed to hear. Placing her head back against the metal wall of the tunnel as she sighed deeply.

"Getting kind of cramped, sir. Can't you hurry up?" Danny requested from Zach.

"I'm working on half power, here." His voice came from the small device around both Danny and Jefferson's wrists.

"Stop complaining." Jefferson gasped breathlessly.

"Mister Jefferson says stop complaining." Rose repeated to Danny.

"I heard."

"He heard."

"But the air's getting a bit thin." Toby almost whispered to the rest of the crew.

"He's complaining now." Rose rolled her eyes.

"I heard." Nodding, Jefferson watched down the vent for trouble.

"I'm just moving the air." Zach told them. "I've got to oxygenate the next section. Now, keep calm or it's going to feel worse." It already felt bad, how could it possibly feel worse. A bang sounded, and Sky knew exactly how it could feel worse then.

"What was that?" Danny asked as the rest fell silent.

"Mister Jefferson, what was that?" Looking down the vent herself, Rose questioned the older man.

"What's that noise?" Toby asked for a third time.

"Captain, what was that?"

"The junction in Habitation Five's been opened. It must be the Ood." Zach told them, sending the crews heart rate beating that little bit faster. "They're in the tunnels!"

"Well, open the gate." Danny started to become impatient as the fear started to settle into him.

"I've got to get the air in!" The captain shouted, he was trying his best.

"Just open it, sir." Jefferson begged this time as they heard the banging getting closer.

"Where are they? Are they close?" Rose asked as she moved closer towards the unopened hatch.

"I don't know. I can't tell. I can't see them." Zach replied, frustrated as they heard him rapidly pressing buttons. "The computer doesn't register Ood as proper life forms."

"Whose idea was that?" Sky perked up with a frown, finally tuning to the others upon hearing that.

"Open the gate!" Danny screamed and finally the gate lifted open and they all hurried through. The sped through more tunnels which at some points seemed never ending, making sure to follow Zach's directions strictly.

"The Ood, sir. can't you trap them? Cut off the air?" Jefferson suggested as they moved.

"Not without cutting off yours." The captain shook his head, never taking his eyes from the blinking red dots on the hologram in front of him. "Danny, turn right. Go right! Go fast, Dan. They're going to catch up."

"I'll maintain defensive position." Sky looked behind her as she heard Mr Jefferson stop and her face fell.

"You can't stop!" She called out behind her, going to stop before Rose grabbed her arm and forced her forward. She was surprised by the girls act to protect her. But she made sure not to let Rose know that.

"Miss Sky, that's my job. You've got your task, now see to it." Sky turned and stopped once more for a second, just watching the man as he set himself up so he could fire easily.

"You heard what he said, now shift." Toby pushed her forward this time and pushed on her arm to get her to move. Soon gun fire ran out and it almost brought everything rushing back for Sky. The gun fire, the sacrifice, the death.

"Eight point two. Open eight point two. Zach!" Danny was screaming now into the communicator as they reached the next gate and were forced to sit and wait until it opened for them. "Open eight point two!" He shouted again when there was no movement.

"I've got to aerate it." Zach was doing well at keeping his calm.

"Open it now!" Danny started to punch the gate out of pure desperation as he was forced to continually listen to the gunfire.

"Danny, stop it. That's not helping." Sky frowned, putting a hand to his arm.

"Zach, get it open!" Toby screamed after looking behind him.

"Jefferson, I've got to open eight point two by closing eight point one. You've got to get past the junction. Now move. That's an order, now move!" They heard the shots change in sound as Jefferson changed his gun and then ran out of ammunition completely. "I'm going to lose oxygen, Jefferson, I can't stop for your dramatics!"

"That's it! Come on." The gate opened and they all rushed through as they heard Jefferson now following behind them.

"Danny, turn left and head for nine point two. That's the last one." Zach continued to give directions while still watching where Jefferson was in the system. "Jefferson you've got to move faster. John, move!" The group stopped and they all looked back as they saw Jefferson approaching the gate 8.1.

"Mister Jefferson!" Sky yelled down the tunnel as she saw the gate starting to close. "Keep going!" But it was to late and the gate closed in front of the older man. He missed it by mere seconds but the rest of the group were forced to carry on down the tunnel without a moments hesitation.

"Regret to inform, sir..." They then heard Jefferson through the communicator. "I was a bit slow. Not so fast, these days." They all knew what this meant, another death, this one could almost considered as an accident or as a act of sacrifice but Sky still saw it being on her hands. She could've stayed behind, not him.

"I can't open eight point one, John. Not without losing air for the others." Any hope that they still held for Mr Jefferson surviving was crushed in that moment. Sky had to zone herself out, she couldn't keep listening to the mans final words with the Captain. His last words, especially knowing they were his lasts words were too much. The feeling she'd been consumed with before turning herself into a human was slowly returning in small waves. "Report Officer John Maynard Jefferson PKD deceased with honours. 43 K two point one. " Zach reported moments later. There was silence all around for a few minutes, out of respect and because no one really knew what to say. It was all around her again, drowning her. The pain, the death, the fear.

"Zach, we're at the final junction, nine point two." Danny was the first to speak out of them in the tunnel. "And er, if my respects could be on record. He saved our lives." A few others nodded along in agreement, but that wasn't enough. There was a dead man, after everything he had given his life to give them just a slight chance of getting out alive.

"Noted." Zach sighed through the comm. "Opening nine point two." They all got ready to crawl under the gate but when it was half way open, they realised they have company. The Ood were already waiting for them on the other side, starting to scramble under the gate.

"Lower nine point two! Hurry, Zach!" Sky yelled out, jumping back into gear and pulling the sonic screwdriver out her pocket. She used it to bring the gate down quicker and seal the locks extra tight.

"Back! Back! Back!" Danny pushed the others back.

"We can't go back! The gang point's sealed off. We're stuck." Toby began to panic again but they still retreated, Sky catching up and joining them.

"Here." Sky looked up to see a grate above them which as uncovered, just like the hatch they had entered the tunnels through. "Come on! Up!" She hit the grate as hard as she could from below until it came away and she stood, climbing out from the tunnel quickly before turning and helping Rose. Next was Danny but then Toby was taking his sweet time.

"Toby, get out of there!" Rose screamed and help him up as Sky looked around them. They had come up into a corridor...she hadn't a clue which one but at least it was empty.

"Help me! Oh, my God. Help me!" They replaced the grate after his cry of terror which for some reason didn't sit well with Sky. Nothing sat that well with her, but there was no reason to doubt him after the voice left him. Sky secured the grate so the Ood would at least be there for a while, at least those few Ood would because as Sky turned around, the wheel to one of the doors started to spin open and soon enough the door open and Ood started to march in.

"Come on. We have to go!" Sky turned back to the group.

"It's this way." Danny shouted and ran to the only door free for them to escape through. Getting it open and sealing it behind them just in time. The group started to run faster and faster towards the Ood habitation area.

"Hurry it up!" They heard Zach through the communicator and ran faster. They could hear the bolts to his door getting broken, the bangs getting quicker, the looser the bolts became. They finally reached the Ood habitation and Danny, Rose and Toby surrounded the machine system while Sky took watch. The Ood were down below on their benches but they started to walk up the stairs, it was a good job they were slow.

"Get it in!" Rose rushed, her head turning every few seconds to watch where the Ood were. "Transmit!"

"I'm trying, I'm trying! I'm getting at it." Danny searched his pockets for the computer chip, coming up lucky soon enough and sticking it into the reader with crossed fingers. They were pushing their luck, the Ood were approaching and Sky started to back up but stayed in front of the group. None of them were giving themselves up before her ever again.

"Danny, get that thing transmitting!" Rose pressured the young boy and grabbed Sky's upper arm to try and pull her back. But then suddenly, the reading fell from basic 100 to 0 and all of the Ood grabbed their heads, writhing in what seamed like pain even though they emitted no noise before falling to the ground motionless.

"You did it! We did it!" They were all grins when they realised they had been successful, everyone had played apart and they had won but it wasn't over yet. As the rest of the group hugged, Sky stayed back from them and cast a sad look down at the Ood. It wasn't their fault, they hadn't turned, something had made them but they'd had to be slaughtered cause of it.

"Yes!"

"Zach, we did it. The Ood are down." Rose smiled and then glanced at Sky as she spoke through the comm. "Now we've got to get the Doctor."

"I'm on my way." Zach replied.

"I guess this means more running eh?" Sky attempted to joke, pushing all of the bad thoughts to the back of her head. There was no time for that now and she had to concentrate. All of the group smiled lightly, nodding and less than a second later they took off back to where they had started at the drilling station.

As soon as they reached the familiar room, Rose ran to the machine she had been stood at before. "Doctor, are you there? Doctor, Ida, can you hear me?" Rose then turned her attention back to the priority and called out for the Doctor through the comm but it was met with silence.

"The comms are still down. I can patch them through the central desk and boost the signal. Just give me a minute." Zach answered, in person once again finally as he too entered the drilling station.

'Lelia? I need you to listen.' Theta sounded in her head suddenly, but it didn't sound good. Sky almost didn't welcome it. For the first time since being reunited with him he sounded serious and she knew things were bad when he was serious.

'Theta? What's wrong? What's happened?' She asked urgently through her head, turning away from the others so they didn't see her shut her eyes as she concentrated on him.

'Nothing just' He started to speak again but paused.'well...'

'Theta.' She spoke with a warning, and it worked because he started talking.

'Let's just say I've been in better places.' He paused again, almost waiting for her to shout at him through their minds but she held back and waited for the Doctor to continue. 'But I'm fine, I just want you to listen.'

'Okay, I'm listening' Sky kept calm, stopping herself from panicking and repeating to herself that everything was fine.

'It was just, if this ends in the worst it can. I want to say I'm sorry.'

'You don't have to say sorry' Her voice sounded as gentle as a whisper to him. The Doctor could sense the pain she was feeling, it even ended up creeping into him a few times as he had kept checking up on her through his decent into the pit.

'Yes. Yes I do. Because if it wasn't for me you'd still be living a normal life or going off and doing your own adventures.' She looked behind her for a second and saw Rose watching her as Zach messed on with the system. The girl could sense something was up but Sky wouldn't dare say anything, knowing it would hurt the girl if she knew she was talking so easily to the Doctor when she couldn't.

'But I wouldn't be happy, I wouldn't be with you. Nothing would...it wouldn't be worth living if there wasn't hope you weren't out there somewhere.' It was a bold statement, especially seeing as they had only been reunited for a day. Or was it two? It seemed longer than that. But never the less, what she'd said would have been forward even after a month together. Theta had paused after it too, which couldn't have been a good thing.

'I still...' He then started suddenly, but stopped. He sounded torn and after tuning in more finely, Sky could feel how he was thinking. He was scared, maybe hopeful. But she understood what he was trying to say and a smile wove its way onto her lips slowly.

'I still too...' She nodded subconsciously as tears started to flood her eyes. Neither of them could finish saying what they really wanted to say. Both of them too scared that the other wouldn't want to hear it. But even though they'd only started saying it, they both knew what the other meant. They were totally in sync and that was enough for them to be happy.

'I never forgot.' Theta whispered and a tear fell from her eyes before she could help it. That's all she wanted to hear from him ever since she came back out from hiding for all those years. Those words lit a fire inside her, although the flame was small, but she was determined they would both get out of there. But Sky could hear his voice slipping slightly and frowned. She knew he was planning something, something which had caused this conversation to start. But she wouldn't ask, she would just wait and see what happened because she knew he wouldn't do anything without good reason.

'Oh I know, I'm not the sort of person you forget' Sky smiled finally, pushing back the negativity to focus on his words.

'I'm sorry Lelia' His voice turned sad and quiet and she guessed whatever he was going to do was going to be soon.

'Just come back safe' That was all she could think of to say. But she didn't know whether he would promise her, in fact it became clear he couldn't promise her as his presence dulled into a gentle hum in her mind and the voice stopped.

Sky took a few moments to compose herself, clearing the tears from her eyes and blocking all signs of her sadness and worry from the others. With a stern but empty expression, as he turned back round to face the others as Zach stepped back from the machine and Rose started yelling back into the comm.

"Doctor, are you there?" She tried desperately. "Doctor, Ida, can you hear me?" There was only static as they all waited for a reply, Sky stepping forward to rejoin the group. Rose eyed her closely but all Sky did in reply was nod for her to keep on trying. "Are you there, Doctor?"

"He's gone." A broken up voice spoke through the intercom slowly and in that second Sky could almost feel all of the crews hearts drop, never mind Rose's. It was Ida speaking, and although the signal was poor they could here the devastation in her voice.

"What do you mean, he's gone?" Rose breathed,

"He fell into the pit. And I don't know how deep it is." Fell? That didn't sit right with Sky. The way he was talking, she knew he had been planning something. The Doctor hadn't fell, he had jumped. But he was still there. That gentle hum and that tingle which ran down her spine was still there, reminding her he was there. "Miles and miles and miles." Sky heard Ida explain.

"But what do you mean, he fell?" Rose whispered.

"I couldn't stop him." Ida explained. "He said your name." Rose's name...he had tried to talk to her either before or after he had reached out to Sky. Why didn't he ask to talk to Rose through her? It was possible and she wouldn't have minded, but he hadn't even mentioned Rose.

"I'm sorry. Ida?" Zach spoke into the comm after taking it from Rose's hand gently. "There's no way of reaching you. No cable." Sky went over and put a hand to Rose's back gently. She seemed to be startled and jumped back before looking at Sky. The girl didn't smile however, she didn't do anything. "No back up. You're ten miles down. We can't get there." Sky was so desperate to tell Rose he was still alive, but she didn't know whether that would make things better or worse. There was still a chance they wouldn't get out of there alive or, if they did, that the doctor wouldn't be joining them. So instead she stayed quiet and returned to the back of the group.

"You should see this place, Zach. It's beautiful." Ida seemed to not respond to what Zach had just told her, but who would want to? "Well, I wanted to discover things, and here I am."

"We've got to abandon the base." Zach sighed. "I'm declaring this mission unsafe. All we can do is make sure no one ever comes here again." No one should have been here in the first place, it still registered as impossible.

"But we'll never find out what it was." Ida responded, almost out of air but still never giving up on the adventure.

"Well, maybe that's best." These were the last moments they'd get to talk to Ida and that Ida would get with anyone. It was clear that no one really knew what to say. Taking a deep breath after Ida agreed with Zach, the captain took a deep breath. "Officer Scott-"

"It's all right. Just go. Good luck." Ida spoke quickly, none of them could have imagined how she was feeling. They were abandoning her, they had no choice but they had to face that that's what was happening. Plain and simple, in black and white, they were leaving her behind.

"And you." Zach put down the comm and the lines were closed. A moment of silence was taken in respect but they were running out of time and had to get moving. "Danny, Toby, close down the feed links. Get the retrotropes online, then get to the rocket and strap yourselves in. We're leaving." Zach spoke out the very simple plan and then turned to walk away from the group to do his own prep.

"I'm not going." Rose spoke as Sky thought the exact same. If it was possible, she would've jumped and slid down that tunnel to get down to them.

"Rose, there's space for you." Zach turned to look at the young woman. "You too Sky." The older Time Lord could only nod in thanks.

"No, I'm going to wait for the Doctor. Just like he waited for me." She turned to the system and leant on it.

"I'm sorry, but he's dead." The captain shrugged his shoulders, helpless.

"You don't know him." Rose cried out "'Cause he's not. I'm telling you, he's not. And even if he was, how could I leave him all on his own, all the way down there?" Sky opened her mouth to tell her he was still alive but closed it. Sky needed to protect Rose at the minute and that meant getting her on the rocket. Telling her there as still hope would only make that ten times harder. "No, I'm going to stay." Sky looked to Zach slowly to see him watching her, like he was silently asking permission. Then she looked to his hands and saw the small needle ready, he was going to sedate her. But Sky couldn't allow that...but then...without giving it a second thought, Sky hooded to Zach and looked away.

"Then I apologise for this." He spoke and stepped forward. "Danny, Toby? Make her secure." Both men trapped Rose and held her still.

"No, no. No! No! No! Sky!" Sky turned and looked at Rose, making eye contact just long enough to mouth to her that she was sorry. "Let me go! Get off me! I'm not leaving!" Zach injected the substance into Rose's neck and almost instantly the girl's form slumped over, passed out.

"I have lost too many people. I am not leaving you behind." Zach spoke to her unconscious form as he lifted Rose over his shoulder and started to carry her from the drilling station. "Let's get her on board." Sky followed the crew at the back of the group, guilt eating her up. They left the station and weaved through the corridors littered with Ood.

"Did that one just move?" Toby asked. Sky pushed through and saw the Ood spread out in front of them all starting to twitch, the red eyes returning.

"It's the telepathic field. It's reasserting itself." She spoke calmly, watching as each of the Ood started to twitch quicker. It was definitely returning and fast.

"Move it. Get to the rocket. Move!" Zach called and started to move quicker through the corridors, stepping over and avoiding the Ood as she went. They couldn't even save the Ood, they were dead, just possessed and they had to be given to the black hole.


	10. The Satan Pit Part 3

They reached the rocket sooner than Sky thought they would. They all boarded and she helped Zach strap Rose into the seat next to Toby and Danny, directly behind her own. Then they all fastened themselves in, Sky beside Zach in the co-captains seat.

"Dislocating B clamp. C Clamp. Raising blu-nitro to maximum. Toby, how's the Negapact feed line?" As they talked, Sky turned her head and looked out the small window to her side, just about being able to look back at the base they had abandoned.

"Clear. Ready to go, sir. For God's sakes, get us out of here!" Toby replied.

"Captain, I think we're going to have a problem passenger." Sky turned slightly to look at Rose as she started to come to.

"Keep an eye on her." Zach said after looking back wearily.

"Wait. We're not..." Sky was worried about Rose hating her now, or not being able to trust her. She knew if the same had happened to her then she would have not been able to trust them. And having just met the girl, she wanted Rose to trust her, she didn't want the Doctor to think she had treated Rose with any disrespect.

"It's all right, Rose. You're safe." Danny spoke softly to her as she awoke.

"I'm not going anywhere!" She jumped to life screaming. "Get me out of this thing! Get me out!" The rocket started to rumble as they got closer to taking off. Sky gripped the seats and stayed silent.

"And lift off! Whoo!" The crew all smiled and screamed as they powered forward, picking up speed by the second. But Sky could only watch out the window, she was flying away from him once again and it hurt. But then out the corner of her eye, she saw Rose's hand grab the dart gun that had been sat beside her and pointed it at Zach.

"Take me back to the planet." She moved the gun to Sky but soon moved the aim when the Time Lord turned around. "Take me back!"

"Or what?" Sky spoke honestly, watching the girl. Sometimes you had to be cruel to be kind.

"Or I'll shoot." Rose said shakily and kept her aim on Zach.

"Would you, though? Would you really?" Sky frowned while watching her. "Is that what the Doctor would want?" Sky held her hand out for the gun. It took a while but soon enough Rose passed it over and Sky placed it back down beside her.

"How could you just leave him?" Rose slumped back in her seat. "He's your husband."

"Huh, you kept that quiet." She heard Danny quip from the back but now was not the time.

"It's what he'd want." Was all Sky could say as she let a tear escape once more, this time not bothering to hide it. "And he'd want you safe too."

"Sorry, but it's too late anyway." Zach interrupted. "Take a look outside. We can't turn back. This is what the Doctor would have wanted. Isn't that right?" They pulled further and further away from the black hole, soon they wouldn't even be in its hold anymore.

"What's the joke?" Danny asked as Toby began to laugh.

"Just, we made it. We escaped. We actually did it." He was grinning, but surprisingly not everyone shared his bright outlook on it all.

"Not all of us." Rose mumbled.

"And we're not out of it yet. We're still the first people in history to fly away from a black hole." Zach reminded them. Sky didn't know if any Time Lords had in the past...probably. They did semi invent them after all. "Toby, read me the stats."

"Gravity funnel holding, sir. Always holding." Something felt wrong, Sky sat up and tried to tune in to the Doctor. "Stats at fifty three. Funnel stable at sixty six point five. Hull pressure constant. Smooth as we can, sir, all the way back home. Coordinates set for planet Earth." She tried to block out Toby's rambling and mentally called for him but he wasn't listening, the distance between them didn't matter, he just wasn't listening. Too preoccupied to hear her reaching out most likely.

"It doesn't make sense. We escaped, but there's a thousand ways it could've killed us. It could've ripped out the air or, I don't know, burnt us, or anything. But it let us go. Why?" Rose started to speak this time and Sky listened, her eyes growing wide as she thought. It all made sense. "Unless it wanted us to escape?" Slowly, Sky reached her hand out and wrapped it around the dart gun, pulling the weapon into her lap as subtly as she could.

"Hey, Rose, do us a favour. Shut up." Toby sneered and then looked back up to his screen. "Almost there. We'll be beyond the reach of the black hole in forty, thirty nine-"

The Doctor raised a rock to smash an urn that he had discovered but then dropped it. "But then you're clever enough to use this whole system against me. If I destroy this planet, I destroy the gravity field. The rocket..." The Doctor drifted off and stepped back from the vase. "The rocket loses protection and falls into the black hole. I have to sacrifice them...I have to give up Sky again and leave her to die."

The situation was all too familiar, he had been in the exact same place before. Having to decide between ending it all, saving millions, and letting her live.

"So, that's the trap. Or the test, or the final judgment, I don't know. But if I kill you, I kill her." He thought about it. Last time he had chose to let her die, he couldn't do that again. He couldn't loose her again, not this soon. But then again, she had survived. She was still here wasn't she? He'd left her to die but she had fought and escaped. She lived.

"Except that implies in this big grand scheme of Gods and Devils that she's just a victim. But I've seen a lot of this universe. I've seen fake gods and bad gods and demi-gods and would-be gods, and out of all that, out of that whole pantheon, if I believe in one thing, just one thing..." He breathed and focused on her presence in his head. "I believe in her."

He smashed the first urn and then the second almost instantly after. "This is your freedom. Free to die. You're going into that black hole and I'm riding with you." He had no escape, but she might have. He did believe in her, he trusted her to get herself out of this and Rose too.

Suddenly the Rocket started to shake rapidly, alarms started to sound and lights started to flash in warning.

"What happened? What was that?" Danny asked, leaning to look at the Captain who was playing with the controls.

"What's he doing? What is he doing?" Sky looked back, seemingly to make sure Rose was okay but eyeing over Toby as well. He was acting panicked again, his smile had dropped. Sky looked back to Rose and the girl eyes locked on her, silently asking her a question. But Sky just shook her head once and turned back round.

"We've lost the funnel. Gravity collapse!" Zach announced and grabbed the steering of the rocket tightly.

"What does that mean?" Rose asked quietly.

"We can't escape. We're headed straight for the black hole!" Sky looked back out the window and back down to the base.

"It's the planet. The planet's moving. It's falling." She frowned as she spoke, the last time that happened...she turned instantly, but it was too late and Toby's face was already covered in those symbols. Sky couldn't gasp like the others did when they realised, she knew it was coming, something had always been off. Turns out the 'beast' had been hiding, remaining dormant in Toby until the time was right so he could escape.

"I am the rage." His eyes had turned red again and his voice deeper and gravely.

"It's Toby. Sky, do something." Sky was surprised by Rose turning to her for help. But, given the circumstances, there wasn't really time to smile and Aww at that point.

"And the bile and the ferocity. I am the Prince and the Fall and the enemy. I am the sin and the fear and the darkness." Toby continued. It was no use listening, it was just repeating everything it had already said.

"It's him! It's him! It's him!" Danny screamed, clinging onto his seatbelt.

"Stay where you are. The ship's not stable!" Zach spoke when he saw them trying to undo their seat belts. But then Toby breathed out fire, Sky leaned back into her seat to dodge it and almost screamed in frustration. "What is he? What the hell is he?"

"I shall never die. The thought of me is forever. In the bleeding hearts of men, in their vanity and obsession and lust." Sky's hand tightened around the bolt gun. "Nothing shall ever destroy me. Nothing!" Sky was sick of this beast or whatever it was and it was time for it to just shut up! Even if that meant dying themselves. So, rolling her eyes, she held the dart gun out pointing at the window and smirked.

"Go to hell."

She shot the front screen, blasting the glass wide open and catching on quickly, Rose unclipped Toby's seatbelt sending his flying out the open window. He was still roaring as he left, the terror remaining even after he was gone as the air was sucked out around them.

"Emergency shield!" Zach commanded the rocket, a steal shutter sealing the broken window. "We've still lost the gravity funnel. We can't escape the black hole." Sky knew that, she'd always knew none of them would get out that easily. No one ever did. It was never a deal of simply flying off.

"But we stopped him." Rose said, looking at the back of the woman's seat. "Sky stopped him. That's what the Doctor would've done." It was almost a reply...an apology for what she had said before about Sky leaving him behind. And if it was, Sky accepted it.

"Some victory. We're going in." Looking out the side window, towards the black hole, Zach sighed and closed his eyes after a moment.

"The planet's lost orbit. It's falling!" Danny said this time, but it wasn't interesting anymore. None of it. Once all hope was lost, so was all interest. All Sky could think, was that somewhere on that planet the Doctor was still alive and they couldn't even spend their last moments together. "The planet's gone. I'm sorry."

"Accelerate. I did my best. But hey! The first human beings to fall inside a black hole. How about that? History." They all sat in silence, no one cried or spoke or moaned. Then the shaking stopped.

"What happened?" Rose was the first to ask. Then they tipped to the side, all of the crew sliding in their seats as the rocket turned, almost as though they were being pulled.

"We're turning. We're turning around. We're turning away!" Zach exclaimed, almost close to laughing. But how? Then a voice crackled through their communicator.

"Sorry about the hijack, Captain." Sky heard Rose's sigh of relief as she herself almost laughed, feeling her heart start to beat the fastest it had in a while. "This is the good ship Tardis." He was alive, actually alive. Well she knew he was alive but he was safe, today wasn't their last day. She grinned and held on tight to her seatbelt. "Now, first thing's first. Have you got a Miss Rose Tyler and a Miss Sky on board?"

"I'm here! It's me!" Rose couldn't contain her grin, leaping out of her seat as she raised her hand. "Oh, my God."

"I'm here." Sky slowly chuckled but couldn't contain her curiosity. "Where are you?"

"I'm just towing you home." She could hear his smile through the comm and felt the hum get stronger in her head.

'I told you I'd come back' His voice filled her head.

'I know, you always do...finally' Sky grinned and she laughed aloud finally.

"Gravity schmavity." The Doctor continued out loud. "Our people practically invented black holes, you know that Sky. Well, in fact, they did. In a couple of minutes, we'll be nice and safe. Oh, and Captain?" The Doctor asked curiously. "Can we do a swap? Say, if you give me Rose Tyler and Sky, I'll give you Ida Scott? How about that?"

"She's alive!" Zach finally looked ecstatic. Things were finally starting to get better.

"Yes. Thank God." Danny smiled.

"Yeah! Bit of oxygen starvation, but she should be all right. I couldn't save the Ood. I only had time for one trip." They all seemed to look back at the disappearing planet falling away slowly, getting sucked into the black hole. "They went down with the planet." They did their best at least. "Ah! Entering clear space. End of the line. Mission closed."

They did do a quick swap as agreed, all of the crew exchanging hugs and good luck greetings before Rose and Sky climbed out of the rocket, into the TARDIS, as Ida did the opposite. Rose ran up the familiar grated flooring as the door to the TARDIS shut behind them, straight up to the Doctor and into his arms. He hugged her tight but the whole time his eyes were planted on Sky who slowly walked up to the console.

Rose saw her and pulled away, stepping back from the Doctor. She may have liked the Doctor and Sky's appearance may have been unwanted at some points but she saved her life, all their lives. Besides they were connected, Rose could see it in the Doctor's eyes. She knew him well enough to see that look in his eyes.

Once Rose was away, he turned to Sky and they just looked to each other. Both too scared to make the first move. But he was the first one to grow impatient and opened his arms to her.

"Come here." The Doctor smiled and she ran to him, actually ran to him, jumping into his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist as he picked her up and spun her round. His arms held her so tightly, as if her never wanted to let go and hers wrapped around his neck as she finally let the tears fall.

"I thought I'd lost you." She whispered by his ear, unwilling to pull away and let him see her cry.

"Nah." He lowered her softly to the ground and put a hand on her cheek, forcing her to look up at him. The Doctor wiped her tears away with his thumb and smiled down at her. "Takes a lot more than that."

"Well..." Sky looked up at him and very slowly he lowered his head so his forehead rested upon hers. "You certainly showed me the ropes." The Doctor only laughed and hugged her closer until they both remembered the spaceship attached to the TARDIS still.

The Doctor reluctantly stepped away, over to the TARDIS's own intercom system. "Zach? We'll be off, now. Have a good trip home." He smiled into the communicator. "And the next time you get curious about something. Oh, what's the point. You'll just go blundering in...The human race."

"But Doctor, what did you find down there?" They heard Ida reply as Rose joined them again by the console. "That creature, what was it?"

"I don't know. Never did decipher that writing. But that's good, Day I know everything? Might as well stop." The Doctor answered her, his voice dropping.

"What do you think it was, really?" Rose asked, looking over at the Doctor with curiosity.

"I think we beat it. That's good enough for me." Sky watched the Doctor closely and there was something he wasn't telling them. But maybe it was best that they didn't know, it wouldn't exactly be good if a group of humans returned claiming they had spoke to the devil himself.

"It said I was going to die in battle." Rose's face was the picture of fear, even if she was trying to hide it. Sky doubted she had stopped thinking about that since the beast had spoke it aloud.

"Then it lied." Sky could read him like a book...and...what she concluded was better left unsaid. "Right, onwards, upwards. Ida? See you again, maybe."

"I hope so." Ida smiled.

"And thanks, boys!" Rose laughed, grinning, the Doctor had obviously settled any doubt in her mind which was good, she should stay happy.

"Hang on though, Doctor. You never really said..." Ida stopped them once more. "You three, who are you?" The Doctor looked up at Sky for a second and smiled lightly.

"Oh, the stuff of legends." The rocket detached and was on its way, back home to Earth. It was sad, like the end of an era...a sad, terrifying, stressful era...but an era.

The TARDIS was silent for a few seconds then, the three of them not really knowing what to do. They could all breath easy, stand still and just...smile. Finally there was nothing to think about or do. There was no where to run.

"Well...I don't know about you two but I'm knackered!" Rose smiled, swinging her arms by her sides lightly.

"Yeah...yeah and...starving." Sky started to laugh as she focused on herself for the first time in the past 72 hours at least.

"Well I know a good place...if you're, well." The Doctor began awkwardly, his eyes avoiding Sky's. "Joining us?" Rose turned to her as well then, waiting for an answer. Honestly, Rose didn't know how she would feel towards any answer the woman gave. If it was yes then the Doctor wouldn't be hers anymore but if she said no, she didn't know what the Doctor would be like.

"I...er...well..." Sky stuttered, glancing at Rose briefly before returning to the Doctor. "I guess...I think." She felt stuck as both of them stared hard at her. She still didn't know, it wasn't as if she had been able to think things over in silence over the past couple of days. "I think I need to sleep on it...and eat on it first." The Doctor looked back at her and nodded slowly, understanding what she was trying to say. They needed to talk first, they hadn't had a chance to. They hadn't even been around each other really either, they just needed to sit, alone and in the quiet and talk.

"Sounds good." He nodded and Rose even had a hint of a smile on her face.

"Yeah, but first I need to catch up on some sleep." Rose said and started walking back towards where the TARDIS deepened. "I'll see you both in the morning, night night to you two. Don't stay up to late."

"Night." The Doctor greeted her.

"Night..and Rose?" Sky called out, causing the young girl to stop and turn back. "I'm sorry, for before...you know with the-"

"It's fine, it was for the best." She nodded in reply, smiling back at Sky. "Night." She walked off then, to her room the TARDIS had made for her Sky guessed. And the air seemed lighter, like there was no longer a big elephant in the room.

"What was that about?" The Doctor asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know." She quipped and smirked at the Doctor. He laughed lightly and then worked his way around the console, flicking random switches to keep them hovering calmly in space as they all rested. She didn't know what to say or what to do. She wanted to sleep but she didn't. A part of her just wanted to sit next to him and feel the hum there in her mind. Talk to him through that link just like they used to, but everything felt strange.

The last time they had been like this, together and alone in the same room, the same calm room where they could just be them...it was years ago...decades. And they had had so much more than just a TARDIS and a sonic screwdriver. So much more.

"I know you want to ask." Sky spoke up suddenly but instantly regretted it and squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm sorry, that was very...blunt." Sky dropped her head down and sighed but was surprised when a finger touched her chin and lightly brought her head back up.

"But right, I've been dying to ask since you opened that watch." The Doctor spoke as softly as he could, putting a hand on her waist to pull her closer as her eyes fluttered open. "But we don't have to, if you don't want to."

"I want to." She spoke quickly. "I want to tell you everything and I want you to tell me everything. I want to know everything that's happened, everything you've done. How you...changed." Sky stalled and let her eyes flicker over this new face. He'd had worse...but that's all the sloppy stuff she'd say on the matter. "What stars you've seen, where you went, how you ended up in the 1950's, why-" Suddenly her eyes locked on to something that was just visible behind him when she looked to the floor. "Why you have a hand in a jar! Why do you have a hand in a jar!?" She stared at him now and the Doctor laughed just like he used when she drifted off the subject to shout at him.

"It's...it's a long story." He grinned and looked down at her, unable to take his eyes off her smile. He hadn't realised how much he missed her smile, how much he had missed everything. Even now, when she stood in front of him, she didn't seem real. Which is why he couldn't stop himself from touching her in some form every few minutes.

"I have all night." She said and took hold of his hand. "Just, find me a seat and something to eat."


	11. Lupa

Theta had found her that seat and something to eat. First he had taken her by the hand and led her through the TARDIS to a door, it was just a plain old door until Theta opened it. What was inside made her jaw drop. It was like a room out of a Manor House, dimly lit making it cosy with old leather sofas in the centre of the floor. Against the walls were cases of books, hundreds of books. Painting hung on the walls and from the looks of it there were originals, very rare and famous originals. It was a very simple room but it was calm and quiet and...it welcomed Sky in more than she could explain. Sky had smirked and said something about him decorating, not looking back as she walked into the room, heading straight for the couch and falling back onto it. But when she'd turned around, Theta was already gone.

It was since then, that she had been waiting for him on that couch. Finally, the door creeped open and he walked in with a plate before shutting the door behind him.

"You took your time." She smiled, sitting up and sliding along the couch to make room for him as he sat down and put the plate between them. It was filled with a variety of things, biscuits, sandwiches, cake...

"I didn't know what you liked." Theta explained before she could ask.

"It fine...I think." Sky laughed and picked up a ham sandwich from the looks of it. "As long as it's not corned beef or crumpets I'll be in heaven." Laughing, she took a bite but inwardly sighed when she felt that awkward silence slowly creeping over them again.

This wasn't how it should be was it? Sitting around not knowing what to do or say? In her head, all those years she was searching, she had imagined this scenario over and over and every time it had been the same, but nothing like this. They had embraced and kissed and then everything had fell back to normal. Everything had been like a dream. But it wasn't like that. The reality of it was that things had changed. Things had been broken and shattered. Even though a broken vase could be glued back together, it took time and even afterwards the cracks were sometimes still visible.

"You don't look real." Theta was the first to speak, he was staring at her almost as if he was trying to prove she was there without touching her again.

"Neither do you." Sky returned, twisting so that she faced him on the sofa. "The last time we, I saw you...how many...what number is-"

"Tenth." For some reason she just couldn't find the right words but he got the gist of what she meant and tried to make it easier for her. "The last you seen was the 8th."

"8th." She repeated...but she had spoken with the 9th during the war. He hadn't wanted her to see him like that though, and while he fled the war as that 8th brilliant man everything had still seemed hopeful. But then he had returned a warrior, ashamed and hard and broken. He had refused to see her, having already said goodbye to her once before he had changed. "Handsome man." Sky smirked at him cheekily. "Very charming...but still I missed one?" The Doctor only nodded. "It could have been worse. What was he like?"

"Erm...big ears." Sky burst into giggles and it made him stop to watch her. It was a beautiful sound, and she was still so beautiful. "What number?" Theta returned the question.

"Oh...I almost lost count." She joked. "The 10th...You see I'm not much better at keeping myself out of trouble than you." Theta's smile dropped, she could barely look at him. They may have both been on their 10th now but it had not been like that when they last saw each other amidst the war. Then, she had only been on her 6th. She had grown older in each and taken things slow back home with their family while he went out and had adventures, getting himself hurt. That's why it was such a shock to him, it was almost half of her regenerations he had missed.

"How?" Now those really were some long stories. Half of which she couldn't really remember. On one occasion, she had just awoken regenerated with no memory of how apart from blood stained clothes and a faint image of a Slitheen in her head. But he deserved to know and she said she wanted to tell him everything.

"The war took one, I was lucky." Sky breathed and broke eye contact for a minute. "A Dalek gun hit my arm...but it didn't get to kill anyone else after that. Then the war again, caught in the blast zone of a Dalek weapon, also very lucky it didn't wipe me out completely. The third was afterwards, I crashed on...Some twin planet and well...was shot again." Theta never stopped listening, she may not have been giving him full stories but it was all stuff he needed to know. "And finally, this came about because of a stab wound. I tried looking for you in the wrong place...they weren't a fan of me obviously." She was still managing to smile lightly as the memories returned. Twice in the war, when he should have been by her side protecting her.

"I'm sorry." Theta spoke before he even thought about it. "I should have be-"

"It wasn't your fault." Sky said in a whisper. "I put myself out there not you. I had to try and protect them."

"But I should've been there too. They were my responsibility too." He could feel his chest starting to tighten and his eyes began to sting as he tried to hold in his emotion. "I shouldn't have left you there."

"You had bigger things to worry about. Other things too do, and I said I could handle it. I-" She broke off as a sob escaped and she stood form the sofa, walking around to stand at a bookcase with her back to him. He couldn't see her break so easily, so quickly. But it all seemed so fresh still. She could still smell the smoke, feel the ash falling onto her skin, see the people falling. "I tried so hard. I fought so hard." She spoke. Hoping he could hear her still.

"Don't think I blame you. I would never blame you for what the Dalek's did." Theta's voice was strong and almost angry. He didn't want to see her like this, he almost didn't want to hear the story of what had happened. How she had escaped.

"But it was my fault, I wasn't there when I should have been there. They needed me and I wasn't there." Her breathes were harsh and staggered. "You didn't have to watch it. You didn't have to watch them as they burned." Her head dropped and her eyes squeezed shut as the pain returned, devouring her.

"What happened Lelia? Tell me what happened." Theta went to stand but decided against it, she needed to be left, he sensed that from her. "How did it happen?" He didn't have to mention the specifics, just like she didn't either. They were both talking about the same thing. Their family. It was what they treasured most and she had been forced to watch it fall and disappear on her own. And he wanted to know what exactly the Dalek's did to the ones he loved.

Slowly, Lelia turned to face Theta again and their eyes met briefly before it became too much for her again. He could still see the pain on her face though and it killed him.

"It can't have been more than ten minutes after I last spoke to you. When you said it was time. You were going to take the moment and use it...I remember it so clearly." Lelia smiled sadly, shaking her head slowly. "You gave me the final chance to join you, but I refused. I said there wasn't time and it wasn't safe for you. Then you said your goodbyes and I said mine." The Doctor couldn't take his eyes off her as the memories came back to him. They were as clear as day. When she spoke, he could replay each moment as well as each thought he had had at that time.

Lelia had been the only thing holding him back, the only thing that was telling him to stop, drop his weapons and go home to protect his family. But she had told him to go, agreeing that ending it all was better than letting the never ending war carry on. It had started to reach others, killing more innocence across worlds. Others had started to hate them and the Dalek's and it had to be stopped while it still could.

"After that, the war carried on, everything was as normal as it had been seconds ago. But I was expecting just some peace as it ended. Just a moment of quiet...but it carried on." Ellis's face was expressionless, her eyes empty as she thought back. "Then I saw the smoke in the distance. You remember by the Capitol, from...from the north side you could see home? That's where it was...thick clouds of smoke. You couldn't even see the gardens it was so dark..." She trailed off and let a tear roll down her cheek. "I just ran, that's all I remember, running. The others I left were calling my name, I'd just dropped everything and ran. It's where I should've been anyway when I knew what was going to happen." She looked at Theta for a second then but quickly looked back at her hands.

"The Dalek's..." Lelia paused and bit her lips hard. "They were already there when I reached home. All I could hear was screams and gunshots and...it was hell." It really was, the flames and the heat and the rubble and the screams. The death. Hundreds died and came back to life everyday and she had to stand and watch as they lost. She fought back but it was just a matter of time until she too got knocked down. "There was nothing left, just...I don't even know how it happened...there was just piles of rubble and junk. Everything, everything that had built up over centuries was just destroyed in the blink of an eye. Everything we were..."

"Was..." Theta's voice broke her stare at the wall. "Was everyone?" His voice was broken, he could barely talk and when he did it was higher than normal. The tears threatening to spill evident as he tried so hard to keep them back. Theta couldn't even say the rest of what he wanted to, all Sky had to do was nod and his head fell into his hands.

"Almost. By the time I got there, the Dalek's were still there but most of them...they were already dead. I stood for a second just watching it all, trying to find a way to stop it. But there were hundreds of them and one of me. I wanted to shoot them, as many as I could but there wasn't enough." Lelia's voice dropped and her eyes shut tight as she recalled the next thing she had seen in the wreckage. "Then I saw Lupa."

Theta looked up in a flash, studying the woman closely as she visibly shook from the pain rattling through her body. Lupa? His little girl. Their little girl. She was the last one he had thought about at the end of everything, he hoped and prayed she would be okay, being the youngest of them all. Still only a child, born just before the Time War had began. The first and only one of their children which had been born naturally after the curse had been lifted from Gallifrey. She had been so beautiful, but she was gone just like the rest of them.

"She was hiding...hiding well I must admit." Lelia forced a chuckle to try and numb the pain but it was no use as it turned into a sob. "You know how she always used to get into the smallest places, almost giving me a panic attach a few times." She looked at Theta who did exactly as she did, smiling lightly at the memories but soon frowning with the pain which came with them. "I couldn't see anyone else beyond the dust, so I tried to get to her but it wasn't safe. I couldn't risk letting the Dalek's know she was there. So I hid, they would never detect her so I hid and waited for them to leave, to move on. And I got so close..." She trailed off, blinking rapidly as the tears started to fall faster. "They were moving on, I sat and watched as the ones I couldn't reach fell until they were all beyond rescuing. The Dalek's were leaving...and then she saw me." The images flashed behind her eyes as she recalled the moment everything had changed. "I...I can't even explain how it happened. It was all so quick. She saw me and she screamed so loud." Lelia whispered and swallowed hard. "I told her to stay, I practically begged her to stay down for just a few more minutes. But she just kept calling out for me..."

She couldn't tell him what had happened next. She couldn't speak to him or describe to him what or how it had happened. Lelia wouldn't let him live with the anger she had been made to live with since that day. But Theta saw the anger grow in her eyes at that point, she still cried but her lips became a narrow line and her eyes hardened.

"I told her I was coming to her and that she just needed to stay down. But she didn't listen. She never listened! And she ran out...Lupa hadn't even took two steps and they saw her." She couldn't say the rest, she knew Theta understood what had happened and she didn't need to hurt them both more by speaking the words. Instead all she could do was apologise for not trying harder to reach her. "I'm so sorry. I did try...I did. I wish they'd have killed me right then and there as well."

Theta stood suddenly and walked quickly over to her, not hesitating to pull her into his arms and holding her tighter than he ever had before. He placed a hand on the back of her head, letting her bury her face in his neck as the pain became to much for her. The other went around her waist as hers wrapped around him, her fingers clinging to his suit.

"You didn't do anything wrong." He spoke softly but with anger, whispering the words over and over between kisses he placed on the top of her head. The anger wasn't for her but for everything else including himself. He should've been there, he should have been helping them. But he put his pride first. Not wanting them to see him as this warrior had done nothing. He had no precious final moments to treasure now, no goodbyes...just empty spaces of regret. He could have helped her, so easily. He could have saved his daughter. "You understand? I don't blame you, at least you were there. I'm sorry."

Lelia lifter her head slightly to look at him and nodded as she caught her breath. Her fingers loosened their grip slightly but she still held tight, after a while her head dropped onto Theta's shoulder and without a second thought he picked her up. He carried her like she was fragile, back to the sofa and sat down before sitting her across his knee so he could hold her close. Together they sat like that in silence, Lelia listening to his hearts beating and him running a hand through her hair.

"She talked about you a lot you know." Lelia was the first to speak, turning her head up to Theta. They were so close, their noses almost touching as he cradled her in his arms, one around her shoulders and the over draped over her stomach. "Every night when I got home she would run up screaming if I'd...if I'd found you yet." She didn't want to hurt him so she choose her words very carefully. "Dragging that damn robo-dog around behind her."

"She still had that?" Theta asked, smiling honestly for the first time since they had first sat down.

"Of course she did. Well, there was a week she had to go without it after she decided it needed a bath but-" Lelia stopped when Theta burst out laughing. "We soon got him dried out and back to work."

"I told her not to try and feed him or wash him. That was the point." He laughed more and dropped his head back onto the sofa. "What did she say? About me? What did she used to say?"

"Everything." Lelia laughed. "Anything. She'd get up at 2 in the morning and come into our room, just to see if you were home yet. When you weren't...lets just say I'd wake up next to that damn dog...but she would talk endlessly as well. Ask where you were, when you'd be home, if we could go find you." His eyes teared over again but Lelia's hand pulled his face towards his so she could smile at him. "It wasn't a bad thing, you were there when the council allowed you to be home. It just meant she missed you and that she loved you...like I did."

"What about the others?"

"I didn't see Sapphire or Sigma for the last seven months of the war." Their two eldest children, both just old enough to be drafted in to fight. "The worst was expected. MIA the council called it, totally disregarding the fact they'd sent children to war." She paused, her fists curling into tight balls. "You're brother...he was out walking the fields one day about a year before it all ended. I was with him. Only me and three others walked away that day. And everyone else? They either went missing, died in the war or were forced to sit in their homes like sitting ducks, just waiting for the Dalek's to find them. It was a joke." Theta looked at her, trying to find some answers. She was angry and he knew the exact reason why. There had been carnage on Gallifrey the longer the war carried on. Time Lord's stopped caring and started fighting dirty. Other planets started getting involved. A good race started to turn evil. "If you hadn't have ended it...I would have." When she calmed and slumped back against him, Theta gathered his voice and asked the question he had wanted to know the answer to for days now.

"How did you get out?" He pulled her in even closer and rolled his head from where it rested to look at Lelia. "How did you escape it?"

"I ran. Like a coward." She looked for any signs of anger on his face but there were none. He was just listening, running a hand in her hair continuing to smooth her. "After they all...I couldn't. It was either die with them or run. And I knew you had to still be out there, all long as I was breathing on that planet you had to still be out there, so I ran. I turned and sprinted towards that damn TARDIS station. All the battle TARDIS where gone, dead, destroyed. But there were still some living in the Academy where I knew you'd be going. Thief." She teased and poked his chest light heartedly. "I ran so fast, calling out to you. Yelling, I was screaming for you but I never heard anything come back. So I ran quicker...but you were already gone. It must have been a matter of seconds since you had left." Lelia paused and took a deep breath. "Then I saw another TARDIS, it was just sat there but it felt like it was calling to me. I became a traitor in that second. A brave person would have went back and fought, died. But I ran away from it all, selfishly trying to seek you out."

"It wasn't selfish and you weren't a coward." Theta whispered and put a hand against her cheek lightly so she was forced to look at him. "I'd rather have you here after so long, a millions times over, than have you die alone in that hell." His eyes locked onto hers and their hearts seemed to beat in sync. "I..." Theta stuttered, his breath hitching as tears threatened to fall. "I never forgot. I still love you." He could see every thought behind her eyes, every emotion. He also saw the exact moment when the tears of sadness and anger turned to tears of happiness and relief.

"I still love you too. How could I not?" They both smiled finally and it was only seconds until Theta leant down and gently kissed her. It wasn't deep or lustful, there was only years of hidden feelings. Desperation hidden in the softness of how he kissed her after years of never being able to feel her physically and mentally. There were moments where they pulled away a little, leaving a slight gap between their lips, but it would soon close again. They were pressed close against one another, Theta's hand now laying against her back as he continued to cradle her.

Both were still teary eyed and the pain remained there. Each time Lelia closed her eyes she still saw her family being slaughtered in front of her, she still saw the Dalek's destroying everything she had worked and lived for, for over 800 years. But at least he was there. She was 900 years old and at least she had something to show for it. She had searched for him while he had never stopped thinking about her and the moments they had once shared. Now they were together again and free. Nothing to hold them back or for them to worry about. They could be themselves again, only this time she wouldn't be staying behind, she'd be coming with him...at least Theta hoped she would.

Neither knew how long the kiss really lasted but when they pulled away they were both a little breathless. Theta put his forehead against hers and sighed, but it didn't sound negative, it was relieved and soothing, sounding like he was going to laugh afterwards instead of cry. "I'm sorry I-you might not have wanted to-"

"Kiss my bonded?" Lelia laughed, brushing her nose against his playfully. "Don't be daft. This is all I ever wanted, to feel safe in your arms again." In response, he squeezed her and laid another kiss on top of her head.

"Are you going to stay?" Theta asked suddenly, focusing mostly on Lelia's loose t-shirt and how it hung of her hip.

"Just in your arms or...generally around you?" Lelia asked with a small smirk as she neatened the back of his hair which had been messed up.

"Oh...both." He laughed and pressed his face into her palm as she lowered her hand to his cheek. "But seriously, here, with me. We could...you know..." She knew. Travel with him, live with him...really live. Not sit in a house and look after children or go to war or have endless conversations with other wives. She could herself go out to the stars and see everything he had seen and more, stuff she had once seen when she was a girl. Before she gained responsibilities and duties. He could take her places like he used to before they were married.

"I'm sorry." Lelia's voice was but a whisper, watching as his face drop in a flash. It obviously wasn't going to be the answer he was hoping if Lelia had to apologise first. "Not yet...all of this, today. It's just, it's a shock. You should know. I need to get used to it all first. Before was the first time I'd talked about any of that, it's still an open wound for me." Theta would be lying if her said he didn't understand, because he did better than anyone. But what he didn't understand was why she couldn't let him help her heal. "I know it sounds weird and frustrating but I need to get used to everything I'm feeling before I start running around with you again, cause god you do run!" She tried to joke but Theta barely even reacted.

"You can rest here, we won't go anywhere or..." Lelia began to shake her head, he mind already made up.

"I'm not running away from you Theta, I'll come back I promise...and soon. But I really needed to be by myself until I learn how to deal with it. Because I didn't even try to deal with it last time, I was too focused on finding you." Lelia explained. "Not learning to deal with the loss and the pain made me run and hide in a watch, to hide from the pain. I don't want to feel like that again."

"Take all the time you need Lelia." He had to force himself to say such a thing. But he was only going to allow her to walk out that door on one condition. "But stay tonight, I'll take you back to your TARDIS tomorrow."

"Deal." Lelia agreed in a heart beat. "Mr Spaceman." The old nickname brought back many memories of the past, but good ones this time. He smiled at her, taking her hand in his and kissed her again, quicker this time but more passionately.

"Tell me stories." Theta tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "I don't want you to go and leave me with nothing to think about and remember." They were words he had used before, only it had normally been while they were in bed before falling asleep, the night before he was due to leave again.

"The roles have changed." Lelia laughed and stoked her thumb over his hand which still held hers. "Which one?" There were many...many many, then again she'd be worried if there wasn't a lot to tell after 900 years. Most of which he had heard before but that never stopped him wanting to hear them again. That was what they used to do, they would lie side by side facing each other and talk about everything the other had seen and done while they had been apart. Where Theta talked about different races and planets and new friends, she spoke of their children and their family and Gallifrey happenings.

"Any." He was becoming more like his normal self now, or as normal as she'd assumed this self was. It was hard in the beginning, getting used to the regeneration and the man you love becoming a whole new person. But everyone got used to it, deep inside they were still the same person, the same memories and thoughts and morals. He was always the same excitable man she'd met in the academy all those years ago. "New or old. A one I've heard or a one I haven't. Just a good one, a happy one."

"I think I can manage that."


	12. Kit

"I couldn't believe it! Actually couldn't believe it!" The Doctor and Sky had moved so they now sat on the couch facing each other, but they were still very close to one another. It was well past the time when they should have retired to get some sleep but if she was leaving in the morning then he wasn't going to let her go anywhere. They could sleep when they were alone. "The best thing was that after arranging their sons marriage, in the middle of a war zone may I remind you, she suggested I should do the same for Tepla." The Doctor was near hysterics as she kept telling him stories. They were mostly ones he hadn't heard as they were about people she'd been forced to be in the company of when he wasn't on Gallifrey to distract her himself. "I mean...er I never liked that woman."

"I gathered, the minute after we moved in." The Doctor smiled, recalling the sour look on his bonded's face after she had first spoken to their neighbour. "She was always very...opinionated."

"That's one word for it, I can think of many others." Sky rolled her eyes and took a sip of the tea he had made her, dipping a biscuit into it afterwards. "She, well her and her family, was the first to turn on us, when they found out where you were, what you were planning."

"What happened?" The Doctor frowned, rubbing the hand which lay on her knee, up and down her calf.

"Oh just small threats, nothing serious. Glares thrown our way...it was nothing really. But oh she got right on board with the drama didn't she?" Sky's hatred for the woman left a bitter taste in her mouth, but that was life. You couldn't get along with anyone. And beside, before all that trouble that neighbour did supply her with some humorous moments. "Your mother had quite a lot to say about that." Sky laughed, remembering when she had caught the older woman just in time before she stormed out of the house and over to theirs.

"I bet she did." The Doctor smiled.

"I thought I was going to have to hold her down." Sky took another drink and then let her gaze fall to her hands as she thought. "You know, it's strange..." The Doctor watched her carefully when he noticed her tone drop from how joyful she had previously been. "There was so much time where you were gone, not there...but it's hard to think of a memory that your not in." It wasn't purposeful, but there was a very simple reason behind it. Things just weren't...they didn't have that spark when he wasn't around. Their children didn't laugh as much and nothing exciting really happened, life missed that adventure.

"Quite right too." The Doctor grinned, causing her to giggle. "You don't have to go." He remembered every time she had told him the same thing, a few of those times she was clinging onto him for dear life. That's why, when she began to shake her head, he couldn't say anything. Because after he did the same and left, she never said another word about it.

"I know, that's the seventh time you've told me." Sky smirked and looked around the room one final time. "I should be going, Rose will be up soon...expecting an adventure." The Doctor took a deep breath upon hearing that and nodded slowly, after everything that happened, he just had to carry on after she left like nothing had ever happened.

"Right yeah..." His voice was strained. "But what are you...well what are you going to do? Where are you going to go?"

"I have the TARDIS...but after today..." Sky laughed under her breath and sat up straight on the sofa before shrugging. "I don't know, I've only seen one decade of Earth, I'll see what a different time is like. Maybe where Rose is from...then at least you'll know where I am." She raised her eyebrows, slightly cheekily towards him.

"What?"

"Oh come on! Don't try to act all casual, I can feel how worried you are from here!" Sky laughed and pushed his shoulder. "I'll be fine, I'll just...I don't know. Shop? Eat?" She turned to watch the Doctor and smiled shyly. "I'll be back before you know it."

"If not...I know where you are." The Doctor threatened playfully. They smiled at each other and for a second, they both did feel sad. But it passed, there was nothing to really be sad about, they had found each other after all. Now things would go back to normal, with them meeting every once in a while. "But how will I know when you want to come back?" Sky remained silent for a while, thinking the question over and then she leaned closer to The Doctor.

"Pick a date." She said to him suddenly, smiling wide. When he stayed silent, Sky sighed and hit his arm. "Pick a date!"

"Ow...okay." He flinched from her touch. "The...2nd of June." When Sky remained looking at him, The Doctor finally caught on. "2027."

"Where?" Her eyes were bright now and the Doctor stared into them, trying to think of a place she would like.

"Paris...The Eiffel Tower at 11am." They both smiled and he pulled her in to kiss her forehead. "But you know, when you leave. I could just go straight there."

"I know you could. But I also know you won't. Besides, even if you did I could wait years until I'm ready. And you'd still only have to wait two seconds." She wasn't stupid, she'd thought it through and it worked for both of them. "And even if I don't come with you then, at least we can see each other. Like we used to."

"Yeah." He shuffled forward and noticed her do the same as he looked her over. "You got more beautiful, how's that even possible." Sky bit her lip to stop herself from smiling too much.

"You're not so bad looking yourself like this." Sky found herself blushing lightly. "Although you know...bit of a haircut wouldn't be a bad idea."

The Doctor mocked offence and scoffed at her. "Right." Then he grabbed her wrist in his hand and pulled her too him. "Come here." He pulled her hard against him so her chest pressed against his and their faces were so close, their lips brushed accidentally. At least Sky thought it was accidental until The Doctor placed his hands on her waist and kissed her, only this time it was different. It was still gentle but it grew deeper, his lips moving against hers quickly. One of his hands ran up and down her thigh, the other buried itself in her hair. Whenever one of them would try to pull away the other would push forward to continue the contact, neither ever wanting it to end. Sky's hands were pressed against his chest, pushing him back into the soft cushions of the sofa. They slipped around his neck and then up into the hair at the back of his head.

When they finally separated, both were out of breath. The Doctor stared at Sky with hazy eyes as she let her gaze move between all of his features. Sky dropped her hands from around his neck and let them run down the length of his chest.

"That..." Sky breathed and raised a hand to lay on his cheek as she smiled and laughed lightly. Then she leant forward and kissed him again, only once this time and then brushed her thumb over the corner of his lips. "You better come find me soon." She smirked as her hearts beat faster and thumped against her chest.

"Yeah." He practically squeaked as he curled a lock of her hair around his finger. "Don't worry about that." The embraced in a final hug as they knew dawn had come and gone and now morning was upon them. "Can I ask something, before you go?"

"Of course." Sky whispered into his ear.

"You still see me as your...bonded don't you?" She pulled back and looked at him with a slight frown. The Doctor looked genuinely worried and seemed to watching her for an answer.

"If I didn't I wouldn't be here." Sky smiled and kissed his cheek as she hugged him again. "Do you?" Returning the question, she didn't have to wait long for a reply.

"If I didn't, do you think I'd want to force you into staying." The Doctor spoke so gently.

"Speaking of which..." Sky pulled back and started to stand up, pulling him with her. "I should go before...before you actually do convince me to stay." They laughed and took each other's hand. "Besides, the sooner I leave, the sooner I'll come back."

The Doctor pulled her towards him, swinging her in front of himself. "Promise?"

"I promise." After one small, last kiss they both walked out of the room together. They had lost count of the number of hours they had been in there either stood on opposite sides of the room in tears or squashed up together on the sofa laughing. But it had been needed.

Once they reached the console, The Doctor walked to controls in front of the navigators chair as Sky walked a full circle around all of the controls.

"Come here." He waved her over, still looking at the controls. When she was near enough the Doctor took her wrist and pulled her in front of him before he took a step back.

"What?" Sky asked clueless when he didn't say anything but just took a seat, crossing one leg over the other.

"If you're going to be going off by yourself, I need to know your capable of actually doing this by yourself." The Doctor started seriously.

"Eh excuse me! How do you think I got here in the first place!" Spinning around with a stern face, Sky crossed her arms over her chest. "I am capable."

"Then prove it." He practically grinned.

"Morning!" Rose broke them up from going any further as she appeared from the depth of the TARDIS. She was dressed in fresh clothes and admittedly looked a lot better than the Doctor and Sky, both of which had baggy eyes and drooped faces.

"Good morning!" The Doctor shouted, breaking eye contact with Sky.

"Morning." Sky herself called out before sighing and turning back to the controls in defeat.

"What's going on?" Rose's smile started to fall slowly, her eyes widening as she watched Sky pull down the heavy leaver sending the TARDIS into motion. "Are we going somewhere?"

"12th July 1953." The Doctor answered, but he was saying the date mostly to Sky so she could key it in as their destination. "Sky's going...well...on her own."

"Oh don't sound so petty." She smirked, glancing at him over her shoulder. "It's only for a while. Oh by the way Rose, your present day...when would that be?"

"2006...why?" Her eyes were focused on Sky but she kept sneaking glances at the Doctor too in confusion.

"Sky wants to see the modern day after being caught in the 1950's."

"And the 40's! Actually mostly the 40's." Sky said thoughtfully. "I must be the only woman to ever leave one war and walk straight into a different one." She herself laughed but neither of the others did so she left it. The Doctor hadn't even realised that, if she had been human for 10 years then that meant she had lived through the last 3 years of the Second World War. Sky was right, she was lucky.

"So you're going to go and live in the noughties?" Rose started to laugh. "Wow, well it's a change from the 40's definitely."

"That's what I'm counting on. Now, you might want to hold on cause it's been a while." There was only a second of warning and then the TARDIS shook rapidly as she ran around controlling different sections and flicking switches. It was still bumpy but not as bad as when the Doctor was driving.

"Just..." The Doctor went to correct a switch, standing out of his seat but Sky slapped his hand away before he could touch anything and did it herself. He caught the wink she sent him and took a seat again, letting her get on with it. "When did you learn all this?"

"Eh same time you did!" She laughed loudly. She may have spent most of her days looking after children and family once they were married but he forgot just how smart she was as well. Maybe even smarter than him. The Doctor and Sky had been together in the Academy, she had learnt all the same things and completed the same exams. But high councils and family and life hadn't allowed her to do any of the things he had. She had never been given missions or time to travel.

"Easy on the landing." Sky was already on it and lowered the final leaver as the TARDIS calmed it's humming and the shaking settled.

"Easy enough for you?" She turned and grinned sarcastically at the Doctor. Out the corner of her eye she even saw Rose smiling and looking impressed, however the smile could be because the woman was very close to leaving and letting the two of them get close again. Not that Sky minded...she had just received one hell of a kiss.

The Doctor stood once everything was silent and still. "Right then." He nodded and looked at the door of the TARDIS, outside of which would be her own TARDIS. "You got everything?"

"Pretty sure." Sky nodded and tapped a random rhythm on the console. "I'm a little nervous." She sighed heavily before chuckling nervously. "I guess...goodbye." She took a step towards the Doctor and they wrapped their arms around each other, both squeezing each other just as tightly.

"Please, don't get into any trouble." The Doctor cringed. "I don't want a call off anyone telling me to come bail you out."

"I won't as long as you won't." Smiling as she pulled away, Sky looked at Rose and raised her hand in an awkward wave. "Have fun, try going somewhere less threatening eh?" She joked but Rose only smiled at the older woman as she checked her pockets and walked towards the TARDIS door. "See you soon Space man..." She trailed off and looked to Rose. "...Earth Girl." And with a final smile, she opened the TARDIS door and stepped out, letting it fall shut behind her before she decided to never leave.

Sky took a deep breath and walked forward, already seeing her TARDIS standing just across the street from where she was now. But then, a bang sounded behind her and before she could even turn to see what it was, she was pulled back by her hand into a kiss. Her hands hung by her sides in shock as The Doctor held her back and neck. After only a few seconds he pulled away again, smiling, and ran back into the blue police box. The TARDIS's engine started pulsing and after a moment she was just stood staring at an empty space.

A grin appeared on her face as she began to laugh, placing her head in her hands and shaking her head. That man would be the death of her. She just knew it.

Her TARDIS shuddered as it landed, throwing her back into her navigators seat. Obviously it wasn't the best landing as the machine hummed in her head.

"Forgive me, I'm a little out of practise." She spoke to the old girl, literally. Anyone would think she was mad but they could here each other and understand each other. Had done ever since Sky stole her on Gallifrey. "You should know that." The TARDIS sounded a moan of agreement from being left unused for so long.

"2006." She spoke to herself and stared out the door. She didn't have a clue how anything was going to or was meant to look out there. Like a lot of Rose's she guessed but what did they eat? How did they all dress? We're their houses still the same as in the 1940's? Sky found herself grinning with curiosity and started to run towards the door.

Now dressed in light blue skinny jeans, with an oversized white shirt tucked in and black flat dolly shoes. She had chose something she knew was 'modern' but quite generic, not wanting to draw any attention to herself just yet.

When she opened the door and stepped out, she found herself down an old ally, at the entrance of which was a busy public street from the looks of it with people walking back and forth.

"Oh clever girl!" Sky smiled and patted the side of the TARDIS when she noticed it had disguised itself as an old wardrobe next to the bins in the ally. "Now, don't go off with any strangers." Locking up the door, which had a small Yale lock under the antique handle, Sky took a deep breath and turned to walk out in to the street.

The first thing to catch Sky's eye was the large amount of large signs which littered the high streets. 'Topshop'. 'Debenhams'. 'John Lewis'. None of which held any real meaning to her but it was a lot different to how it had been when she was human. There were a lot more people two, making her find it hard to stand in one spot for longer than a few seconds before someone knocked into her.

"Excuse me?" She tried to catch the attention of a passing man but he stared through her like she wasn't even there. "Hi, sorry this may sound-"

"I haven't got any change." Another man, dressed smartly in a suit pushed past her. Change? Well that's rude. Sky pouted her lips pompously mocking the man behind his back. London people in 2006 seemed to be even ruder than those in 1940. Almost as pompous as Time Lords, Sky thought before taking the time to look around for someone who may actually want to help her.

It was across the street, on a bench, that she saw a young man maybe in his late twenties by the looks of it. He had a small mop of curly light brown hair and a beard which was past stubble but not a full on beard. Wearing a plain white t-shirt and black slim jeans, he didn't look as threatening as a man and a suit, he also didn't seem like he was in a rush as he sat playing with the mobile in his hands. Sky slowly made her way over to him, trying her best not to look creepy, and put on a smile.

"Hello." She spoke nervously, afraid of getting rejected again. "Sorry..." He looked up and she smiled more honestly when he didn't immediately push her back. "Hi...erm...you don't happen to know the date do you?" She hadn't set an exact date to land on, just the year.

"Erm yeah, it's the 12th of August." The man answered with a smile, looking up to where she stood in front of him. His accent was different to what she was used to, slightly...hard.

"Right...the 12th." She repeated and looked around her. August...that would explain why it was slightly warm. "And it is 2006 right?" Sky asked, just to make sure.

The man looked back at her with more of an amused squint this time. "Yeah..." He chuckled. "Are you alright?" He had to question when she shrugged, all proud of herself.

"Hmm? Oh yeah. Just, got up on the wrong side of bed or something." She answered but then realised his accent again and frowned deeply, meeting the mans gaze again in a snap. "I am in London aren't I?"

"Yes." He laughed, slowly nodding. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Of course!" She cheered. "I knew I was always good at this." Sky spoke but only realised afterwards that he wouldn't have a clue what she was on about. She wasn't used to interacting with humans really, her human self had been much more introvert and shy than her true self. "Sorry..." Noticing the confused look on his face, she smiled sheepishly and decided to get off the subject quickly. "I'm Sky." She held out her hand.

"Kit." He repeated and took her hand.

"Nice to meet you Kit. And thank you for the date...or telling me the date." She then went to step away, giving Kit one last smile and turning away to begin exploring. However, the thought of a peaceful day walking around London, shopping and trying new interesting foods was destroyed when the atmosphere broke above her. The sky seemed to ripple and the clouds parted as a lump of metal started to fall slowly through the air in the distance.

Sky felt Kit stand beside her, taking off the sunglasses which had covered his eyes to stare up at the same spot as her.

"Kit?" Her voice was a high squeak as she watched the spaceship decline into London.

"Yeah?" His reply was just as breathless.

"Can you see that?" The exterior was shiny, like a mirrored glitter ball almost. Some might even describe it as looking like a star had fallen from the sky with how it shined in the day light.

"Yeah." People had already started running around like headless chickens, dropping everything in their hands and heading off in the direction opposite where the ship was falling.

"Okay...good." Sky nodded but then bit her lip hard. Oh why did this have to happen now! She didn't have to do anything did she? Like run after it and see what it was? Who it was? What they wanted? The humans could handle it, she didn't have to get involved? Everything would turn out fine wouldn't it? She didn't have to do anything...so why was she itching to get involved?

"Tell me Kit... What is over there?" Sky nodded over to the...well area of sky they were both staring at.

"Where that thing is? Over that way is Hyde Park I think." Kit shouted through the panic.

"Would you advise running there?" To this, Kit only turned to stare at her before realising this strange woman was being serious. But she couldn't be implying that she was actually going to run over there.

"It's about an hours walk from here." That was enough of an answer to advise her running was a bad idea.

"Taxi it is then." Kit did a double take at the woman as she headed off down the street in a slow jog to find a cab.

"Hey!" He shouted after her, catching Sky's attention before she was too far away. "What are you doing?"

"You're not curious?" Answering as she turned around to face him again, she stood watching him.

"You're going over there? What if it's unsafe?"

"I've tackled worse...believe me." What with the war and a close call with satan yesterday, this could turn out to be nothing more than a fly on a windshield. "You might want to you know, go home though. It might be something bad."

"You're going alone?" All Sky did was look around herself jokingly, gesturing to no one else with her, apart from the screaming people running past her. "What if something happens?"

"I don't know, but I'd rather be out there than hiding in doors." If the Doctor was going to start dragging her about then she would have to get used to running and solving this sort of stuff she guessed. It would always be like this with him. "Besides, I think it's sort of my duty."

"Duty?" Even with everything going on, Kit had to laugh at her. "Well...let me come with you." His brain was screaming no at him. For him to turn and run away like everyone else, but honestly? He was a little curious.

"Come with me?" This wasn't exactly the situation she had thought of getting herself into when she told the Doctor she wanted to get used to things. In her head that meant shopping, maybe going to a couple of other planets, exploring. Not running into a spaceship an hour after leaving and picking up her very own 'Rose'. "Really? It might be dangerous?"

"I can handle danger, there's been plenty of it recently." He seemed to straighten his stance, as if pushing out his chest. "Plus you didn't even know what year it was two minutes ago so..."

'Let him go with you'. Theta's voice sounded suddenly, shocking her a lot. She hadn't even felt him but he was obviously keeping checks on her.

'How did you-'

'You think I was going to just let you go out there blind?' She could hear his chuckling. 'No, and I know that I've reawakened something in you. So if you're going to go, I'd rather you have someone watching your back.'

'But I wanted to be alone'

'Just say yes.' The hum which had built up then started to dull slowly as he stopped focusing on they're link, by doing this she knew he wouldn't listen to a reply even if she gave him one.

"Okay then...sure." She nodded and began to step backwards slowly. Smiling still, from hearing Theta and being reassured he was always there if she should ever need him. "If you think you can handle it." Kit didn't answer, just caught up to her and fell into step beside her.

"Eh...the Taxi's are this way." Kit stopped and pointed left as she turned right.

"I know, but if you're coming and there's no doubt traffic will be mental...I know a better way." Sky kept walking and soon felt him beside her again as she led him into the alley.

"This is an alley." Talk about mentioning the obvious. "And that's a wardrobe."

"I'm aware of that thank you." He was forced to watch in awe as she took the key out her pocket and stuck it into the Yale lock before pushing open the door. "What?" She had to ask when she turned to see him watching her like a mental person. But then...she did look like she was climbing into a wardrobe.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Right now the weirdest thing he'd seen all day was a toss up between an alien spaceship and this woman. "That's a wardrobe."

"No, it's a TARDIS."

"What?"

"Do you want to see that thing or not?" She just smirked, this was the first time she'd had to explain this to someone who didn't know or understand it. But it was fun. "Just...oh you'll see if you just get in." She stepped through the door and held it open for him to follow. It took a while, like watching Bambi take his first steps, but finally he was stood on inside the TARDIS. But after a count of 3 he was back outside.

"But..." Kit stuttered. He ran back in and then back out, rubbing his hand down the side of the TARDIS and looking behind it at the gap between it and the brick wall. "That's impossible. It's bigger on the inside."

"You noticed? Thrilling isn't it?" Sky grinned and nodded for him to come inside and maybe stay there this time. He did, standing in the grated ramp leading up to the console and looking up at the dark grey walls leading up to a towering ceiling. Sky finally shut the door behind them, and ran up to the console to key in the coordinates for Hyde Park.

"What is this?"

"This is the TARDIS. Time and relative dimension in space." She explained easily, looking up from the control for just long enough to see him watching her closely. "You have a question."

"Who are you?"

"Sky." She took a deep breath. Might as well get this over with while they weren't running for their lives away from a massive shiny glitter ball. "I'm...well it's complicated actually."

"Oh my god you're one of them." Kit gaped and started to step back.

"What? Who?" Frowning, it took Sky a second to realise he was referring to whatever it was they'd just seen. "Oh no! Well sort of...no! I actually take offence at that. It's like calling you a Martian." She stuck her tongue out distastefully but then forced herself to become serious. "But to you then sort of yeah. I'm not exactly human if that's what you mean. But I'm not anything, you know, evil. I...we...my kind try to help avoid these things."

"Your kind?" Kit began coming up to the console then, all the time watching her wearily. She couldn't have looked that threatening though, as he wasn't running for his life.

"I'm a Time Lord." She answered quickly.

"A Time Lord?" They really didn't have time to go through all this right now.

"Yeah. Listen it's a long story and if we want to see this thing start to do whatever it's going to do we have to move. But I promise if after it all you still want to know, we'll discuss it over...I don't know, whatever you drink these days." She rambled and finished keying in the location. "Now you can either trust me and come or, if you don't like it leave and forget this ever happened." Sky grasped the lever which would send them into action. "So what is it?"

"You like coffee?" She didn't need anything more and grinned at him, seeing him start to smile back.

"Hold on."


	13. The Raslox

It didn't take long to materialise only a few miles down the road, but when Sky put the brakes back on Kit looked like he was going to pass out. His knuckles had turned white at one point as he had hung on to stop himself from ending up on the floor. And when they stilled, Kit didn't really look like he knew what to do, while Sky checked her pockets to make sure she had her screwdriver.

"What just happened?" Kit finally spoke, watching her fix her shirt into her jeans after the bumpy ride. She looked to him and then the TARDIS door before smirking.

"Look outside." Nodding towards the door, she followed Kit after he started towards the door and held in a giggle when he stopped dead. "Told you my way was better than a taxi." She said, not giving him the chance to speak.

"We traveled...to Hyde Park." Kit turned around to look at the TARDIS which was now, yet again, a red telephone box. "In...wait it's changed."

"I told you. It's a long story. But she disguises herself to be hardly noticeable." Sky found herself smiling but hid it quickly. She shouldn't be finding his surprise so amusing. "Now...spaceship?" Sky said and began spinning around. "Spaceship. Spaceship. Spaceship. Ah...there we are." About 300 yards away, behind the TARDIS lay the smoking shiny glitter ball. It was obviously damaged but not massively by what she could see and luckily there was no one around so she wouldn't be distracted by screaming and panicking.

"Do you know what it is?" Kit asked, looking over to Sky.

"No, not yet." She shook her head and pulled the screw driver from her jean pocket. "But..." Using it to scan the ship, there were no traces of any life on board. So either everyone was killed in the crash or they were already too late. "London will soon find out. No ones on board."

"What's that?" Kit was staring at the device still in her hand.

"Screwdriver...sonic screwdriver." She answered. "Only it does a lot more than just fix things. See." Quickly, she ran the sonic over him as it buzzed. "Human, 100%." Sky read the scan. "Perfect health too, congratulations." Kit frowned and felt the overwhelming need to pat himself down.

"Did you just probe me?" He exclaimed but Sky just walked forward towards the crash. "Hey!"

"Come on." He had no choice but to follow her and hope she didn't probe him any further. "I should be able to pick up a signal from whatever was here and if we're lucky, trace it too wherever they've gone."

"So we're essentially chasing aliens?"

"Essentially yeah." She nodded. "Why? Scared?"

"No...would it be anything like those on Christmas. With all those people on the buildings?" Suddenly Kit's eyes lit up. "Was that you? Were you the one that stopped all that?" Sky had no idea what the boy was going on about and shook her head with narrowed eyes.

"No that wasn't me...but I bet I know who it really was." The Doctor really had been busy while she had been sleeping. "I have a bon...husband." She corrected herself so he would understand. "He does this sort of stuff, it was probably him."

"Husband?" He seemed surprised, something Sky didn't know whether to be offended by or not. "So where is he now?"

"Please save all questions until afterwards, thank you." Sky said as they continued to walk slowly towards the ship just incase anything decided to swing out from no where. "But by the way, where are you from?" Kit had to laugh at her.

"Scotland, Glasgow to be precise." So that explained the accent.

"What are you doing in London Scottish Kit? You're a long way from home."

"You're one to talk." He smiled at her. "I moved down here to be nearer my girlfriend...ex-girlfriend now." Ooh bit awkward, and personal. Did humans always get this attached so quickly? If it was then no wonder The Doctor never found it hard to find a friend.

"Hmm sorry about that." Sky could only try and feel sympathy for who essentially was a stranger. "So this happens a lot in London then?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

"Apparently. Just recently though, it's strange."

"It won't have been just recently." Sky disagreed with him as they walked. "You didn't know I was one did you?" Kit just shook his head. "So how do you know there aren't others around you right now?" Smirking, it even creeped her out to think of it. Anyone, even his girlfriend could just be pretending.

She didn't get an answer, and right now he was probably mentally running through his friends list, trying to spot any strange behaviour. But they had reached the spaceship, at least they had reached as close as Sky was willing to let herself and Kit go for their own safety. But it was only 100 yards away, already towering above them. There wasn't anything they could relate the size to though, the height stood at around a two story block of flats and in length...it had to be at least 50 meters perhaps. Not the biggest, but not exactly the least threatening either.

"Oh my God." Kit left her side but stopped only a bit away.

"What is it?" Sky asked as she began to scan the ship.

"You might want to see this." Kit looked back at her, hand covering his mouth as he almost seemed disgusted. Looking him over, Sky didn't hesitate in joining him and it didn't take long to see what he had found

"Oh...well that can't be good." In front of them was a body...or what was left of a body. Now, it just looked like a shell, the skin suit of what was most likely, recently a human. Something had sucked all of the blood out clean and easily...and fast apparently. It can't have been more than twenty minutes since the ship first landed, yet they were already out and had done this. "The bloods been taken, sucked out." Sky explained as she scanned over for any trace of what had done this. "Most likely consumed."

"What? Like a vampire?"

"No! Well I guess sort of...but no!" She frowned at Kit, but grinned when the sonic started to beep with a signal. Something had left behind a little DNA on the bite wound. "Vampires don't exist, not the ones you people write about anyway. But this...this is real..." The signal beeped more violently when she pointed the sonic past the body. "Come on!"

Sky broke into a run, and Kit wasn't far behind but she sure was quicker than he expected. They ran out of the park and into a busy street which was lined with cars, people didn't seem to want to stick around after what they'd saw. But who would blame them, even Sky had wanted to ignore it and run away when she first saw it.

"But what is it? You must know if you're following it." Kit managed to ask though broken breathes when they stopped at a split in the road and she tried to find the correct way.

"It's a race called the Raslox." Of course she knew, it wasn't hard to filter out the species as not everyone traveled in shiny spaceships and drank the blood of anything with a pulse. "They're...well harmless would you believe. They normally aren't known for invading anyone's airspace but their own. But they feed on blood, any blood, it's just unfortunate it was a human." It was true, they were a peaceful race, but didn't know any better. They never tried to murder or fight for power. Which meant... "For them to land here is strange, very strange. But that must mean only one thing..." The signal picked up again and Sky grinned.

"And what's that?"

"They're looking for something that's theirs." They were looking for something, that would explain why all life on board had already set out on a search party. But while they were searching, they would need to eat. "We could leave them..." Sky tried to explain as they ran. "Once they find what's theirs, they'll undoubtably go peacefully. But there's no doubt that at least one will get peckish and...we don't want that do we?"

They rounded another corner after running for about twenty minutes, but Sky stopped dead when she looked up from the signal and saw a giant tower block and the higher she pointed the sonic up the tower block, the stronger it beeped.

"What's this?" Sky casually pointed up to the sky scraper and tucked the screwdriver back in her pocket.

"This building? I don't know, it's new I think." Kit shrugged and walked beside Sky as they approached the door to the buildings reception area. "They finished building it only a couple of months ago."

"Strange." Once they were through reception, Sky eyed the security placed rather heavily around the room. Stranger still. What was this? Some sort of secret army base...in the middle of London...in a tower block? "Play it cool." She whispered to Kit casually and straightened her shirt, then they both began confidently walking across the polished marbled floors.

"Why is no one here screaming and running?" Kit asked a good question, a one there was more than one answer to.

"I don't know. Maybe whatever's here just blends in. Or maybe...maybe they're used to it." She watched the armed guards again suspiciously. What sort of an office needed to arm themselves? They were almost at the elevators when a woman screamed them over.

"Excuse me! Miss! Sir!" Sky rolled her eyes, but turned back to the voice with a smile. "What do you think you're doing! Proper identification has to be provided at the front desk."

"Does it? Sorry, we're just visiting." The woman was dressed smartly to say the least, a wide pair of glasses covering her face. But they were fake lenses, she wore them to look smarter than she actually was, proving to her colleges who judged her because of her bleached hair and bright red lipstick. Sky wasn't just good at identifying aliens, she was also a very good judge of character. Patting down the back pocket of her jeans, she found the small grey wallet and pulled it out, flashing the blank page in front of the young woman. "Sky Smith, health and safety. We're here just to do a few spot checks."

"And you are?" The woman turned to Kit, who was staring at Sky's ID more that she wished he would do.

"Kit Avery." He finally woke up it seemed, introducing himself.

"Yes." Sky nodded at the woman smugly. "Now, may we be getting on?"

"Of course. If you need anything, ask at reception." With that, the woman turned and walked back to her station, stiletto heels clicking against the hard floor. They hit the elevator button and walked into the first one to open. Sky hit the top floor, number 40 and leaned back against the mirrored elevator wall.

"Kit Avery? Is that your real name?" She asked after noticing that he had become rather quiet all of a sudden.

"Yeah." He hummed as it seemed the only suitable response. "That ID...it was blank. But she accepted it." Kit slowly turned to look at her and squinted.

"It's psychic paper, people see what I want them to see." As she explained, Kit nodded as if understanding the concept easily. But the crease in his brow spoke otherwise. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it." She began to laugh but wanted to hit her head on the wall. He wouldn't have to get used to it, because after today she would never see him again.

'It's better than being alone.' Theta's voice sounded around her mind suddenly again and she scrunched her eyes shut.

'Will you stop doing that!' She yelled at him mentally, though she was smiling. 'And shouldn't you be running somewhere. Besides...I want to be alone.'

'You said you needed to get past the pain, he could help.' He sounded so casual as if he had already thought all this through. If she didn't know better, Sky would say he had planned for her to meet someone. 'You don't really want to be alone, I know you don't. But facing me is hard right now cause I know you just see Lupa.'

'That doesn't mean I need a boy to follow me.' While Kit was facing away from her, watching the numbers change as the floors went by, she eyed the boy.

'Not following you, keeping you grounded and from thinking about them.' Grounded? How could he keep her grounded.'Before you know it, the pain will have eased and you'll be back with me.'

'And then what happens to him?' He was a stranger, but that's what she didn't want. To have to just dump the boy when it suited her.

'Well...Rose could always use a friend.' True, it wasn't as if Rose would want to go anywhere once Sky was back with the Doctor.

'Anyway, the TARDIS is in a drawing so I have to go.' And with that the hum dulled before she could reply again and she was left more confused than ever. In a drawing? Who knew what he was up to but the man did have a point. Before turning human she walked around thinking of them none stop, maybe company would help. And besides, she knew if the Doctor wanted it to happen, it would end up happening no matter where or when he was.

"Sky?" She heard her name being called and stood up straight quickly, seeing Kit already out of the elevator and holding the door open for her.

"Oh sorry." She walked out behind him and took out the screw driver, scanning around her. Nothing. "They haven't reached this floor yet...or they thought like us and have already been." Her words always seemed to make Kit just that extra bit on edge. She was still a mystery to him, a...Time Lord who had a fancy screwdriver and psychic paper and a telephone box which was bigger on the inside. He was starting to doubt that he had ever got out of bed this morning and this was just one very long and strange dream.

"What exactly should we be looking for?" He asked, keeping behind Sky as she opened a door to an empty office.

"Anything...unusual." Her brow quirked when she saw a computer sitting on the desk by the window and already turned on, an unrecognisable logo spinning round as the screensaver. "Do you recognise this?"

"No, never seen it before." Kit said as he came to stand behind the desk also. He watched as she took a seat in front of the machine and hit a random key. A ding sounded as Sky was taken to a login page so she began typing, and once again used her buzzing device to hack the system. "Is there anything that thing can't do?" The 24 year old asked jokingly.

"It's not very good with wood but I'm working on it. Aha! There we are." She was let into the system and opened up the document folder. "Torchwood? What is Torchwood?" Sky started scanning through the files but after finding nothing, she scanned the computer with the sonic and suddenly hundreds of hidden files began showing themselves.

"Woah, what are all those?" There must have been hundreds upon thousands of files. All discretely named but it didn't take long for Sky to begin to understand. But the more she saw, the harder it was to believe.

"This, Mr Avery, is what they're trying to hide." Sky smirked, but her eyes widened as she started to read quickly through some of the files. "No...no!..." Surely not.

"What is it?"

"Torchwood Industries, that's what were in now. Some base of theres." Her guess at an army base downstairs hadn't been too far from incorrect. "Did you see all the guns downstairs?" She wait for Kit to nod before continuing. "That's because Torchwood, from what I gather, is a protector of the British Empire."

"Protector? We don't even have an Empire anymore. Protector from what?"

"Extraterrestrial threat...or any life at all." Sky opened a document and the anger grew within her as she read through the Torchwood manifesto. "All alien life and technology to pass by, these people shoot it down and claim it as their own."

"That's not a good thing I'm guessing?"

"No! It's terrible!" She sat back in the chair and took a deep breath. "Humans, you run and get angry when anything touches your world but you have no problem sticking your finger out and touching everyone else's." It all made sense now, as to why the Raslox had come here. Torchwood had stolen and we're now hiding something of theirs and it must have been a very important thing for such a private race to come across hundreds of galaxies to find it. "We have to find what the Raslox are trying to find. Not just to save people from dying but to help them now. Otherwise..." Sky didn't doubt this institute would just shoot them all down, or worse, capture them.

Before Kit could ask just what the 'otherwise' was, Sky stood and bolted back out of the office and over to the lift. He caught up with her just in time to enter the lift before she secured the doors shut behind them and looked at the buttons in thought.

"I'm an alien storage centre.." Well, practically. "I take stuff from aliens. Above the police. Working with the government most likely. I take the technology, but the public can't know, not even a sniff. So where do I hide it all?" She smirked and saw the big 'B' button. "The basement of course." Smiling at Kit, she hit the button but then a bell sounded around them.

"Please provide password for this level." At least she knew her guess was very likely right if there was extra protection. Kit looked worried but Sky bit her lip and nodded her head from side for side for a few seconds before looking up.

"The British Empire." They had to wait a few seconds, neither of them really breathing through them, but a ding sounded and they began moving down.

"How did you know that?" Kit breathed deeply.

"I didn't, but like you said. It's not the British Empire anymore...they just obviously like the sound of it." Therefor, make it a password you have to remember. Kit was watching the numbers again and when they started to slow he nudged Sky and nodded up to the small screen. "Visitors." They slowed at the 10th floor and they both prepared themselves to be met with guns and guards.

The doors slid open but it was a positively surprising sight. It was just a couple of workers. A man and a woman, Sky's eyes widened in surprise...things were running awfully smoothly. But then, maybe it was just because the Doctor wasn't here. She did always handle things a lot better. Kit stepped closer to Sky to allow the couple to stand on the left side of the lift.

"Erm...floor?" He asked them politely but the couple just snapped their heads to him and glared hard as the doors shut and the lift moved towards the basement again. Sky had a horrible feeling she had spoke too soon. The woman's eyes scanned over Kit's figure as if scanning him. "Human. Male. Earth. Negative." Sky noticed Kit take just a tiny step back as the woman's gaze switched to Sky.

"Time Lord." She didn't seem to find this interesting as others did. "Female. Gallifrey. Negative." They might have just stumbled upon the crashed spaceships crew. But okay, she understood what they were saying...race, gender, planet of origin...but what was the negative. Negative for what?

"And what's that mean?" Both Raxlon's looked at her, smiling. "I know your not human, and you're looking for something." Their grins unnerved her, but they were just trying to blend in. This wasn't their true form, they had used something to disguise themselves and when arriving on earth they had obviously seen people smiling. Now that's what they thought was expected. "I can help." They didn't answer just stayed and stared at them until they reached the basement and then when the doors opened the couple just simply walked out.

"Was that them?" Kit seemed to be breathing heavier than normal, his back pressed into the corner of the elevator. "Shouldn't we follow them and...do something?"

"Yeah...just like I said. Unusual...and actually I think it's better that we just observe and makes sure no one gets hurt. They can handle it themselves." Sky nodded but then looked at him. "You alright?" He was a picture, slightly red face, eyes wide. It was a picture.

"Yeah...just creepy." He seemed to shudder and Sky threw her arm out to her side, to stop the lift door as they began to shut.

"You sure, cause you know if you can't handle it then-"

"I can handle it." He snapped, cutting her off, to which she rose an eyebrow.

"Good, then lets go." He followed her out of the lift a second later and into what seemed to be some sort of warehouse. "Whoa...hey Kit?" She called out, making him walk to stand right beside her. They were surrounded by artefacts, ancient and from the future. Items she knew and ones that was just plain strange. All of them stolen and all of them being used for the good of the 'British Empire'. "Remember when you said aliens were just recent?"

"Yeah."

"Well, everything here has come from an alien which has at some point passed or visited Earth." She sighed as her lips formed a harsh line. "You're not as alone you think." Sky walked over, studying each object in great detail. It wasn't the most dramatic adventure, overseeing the Raslox claim something which was theirs but it was worth it to discover this. This hoard of things which weren't theirs, things they had no right to take and use for themselves. Torchwood Industries. She'd remember that name for when she next seen the Doctor.

"What is that?" Kit asked intrigued and pointed to a large gun. She didn't recognise it but the technology was far past that of a human.

"Don't touch it." Was all she said as she saw him reach out a curious hand. Suddenly there was a loud crash and gun shots. Sky grabbed Kit by his t-shirt and pulled him behind a wall of crates, no doubt full of stuff. "Don't make a sound."

They watched through a small crack between two crates as the couple ran back in to the lift, shielding an object Sky recognised, but she wished she didn't because it caused her anger to grow even more, it made her feel sick. It was an egg, only tiny but unhatched and most likely alive. This organisation had somehow managed to steal a Raslox egg, a child from their parents. Negative. Negative of having had contact with their child.

The doors weren't going to shut in time so Sky took out her screwdriver and buzzed the doors so they snapped shut and locked until they hit the floor they needed.

"We need to get of here now." If they would steal a child, what would they do to one of the last two Time Lord's in existence. Sky ran over to the stair well behind them unnoticed and pushed open the door, stopping for only a second to check the guards hadn't seen herself of Kit. But then they ran and they were laughing, Kit had first but she'd soon joined in as they reached the reception and sprinted out the doors into the street. Everyone else had been too busy with the Raslox so they just walked out.

"Is it always like that for you?" He was breathing heavily from running and from the adrenaline of possibly being caught and chased.

"Like what?"

"So risky?" He stood up straight from catching his breath and looked at her through a squint. "Exciting, sneaky...running."

"Oh you got to love the running eh? But exciting?" Sky began to laugh. "Today was nothing, today was a tour, a glimpse. That was just sight seeing." He continued to stare at her until he just shook his head and laughed. "Why? Did you enjoy it?"

"Honestly?...yeah." The surprise was behind Kit's own eyes as he smiled. "Is that bad?"

"No, not at all. But if you enjoy that...wait until you see the real stuff." She looked at him seriously as his smile dropped and he met her eyes. "I mean...no forget it I'm sorry." Sky looked to her feet, she knew it was a bad idea and she didn't exactly approach it in the most casual way. Stupid Doctor.

"No...what is it?" Kit asked, hopeful. It sounded cliche but she'd opened his eyes today even if it was nothing for her. He'd flew in a real spaceship, saw things no ordinary person was going to see and if that was just the beginning...

"How about that coffee?" She smiled.


	14. Army Of Ghosts Part 1

"Here we are." Sky looked up from his phone and smiled as Kit put down the mug of coffee in front of her. He then took the seat across the table from her and chuckled lightly when she sighed and passed him the phone.

"I lost it again." Kit looked at the screen and tapped the Internet icon for the fourth time for the woman before handing it back. "But thank you, I'll pay you back." Sky said as she sipped at the coffee, it was alright, nothing to brag about but human drinks never were.

"Don't worry about it." Shrugging it off, Kit watched the woman work on his phone as he sipped his own coffee. "What are you doing anyway?" Once on the Internet she was away, typing rapidly and reading through the pages but one wrong click and she would end up on the home screen and she'd be stuck.

"Looking up more about this Torchwood Industries."

"Anything good?" Kit turned to look out the window, surprised to see everyone already back to normal, shopping and laughing. It can't have been more than four hours since that spaceship had flew over all their heads but there they were just forgetting about it. A year ago everyone would be hiding, but nowadays things like this became more normal by the second.

"Not really...it's all smoke and mirrors. They don't want the public to know so they barely exist online. They're just a company...that's it a company." Sky grew frustrated quickly and passed the phone back over to him before she ended up breaking it. "I just don't get it." Her head fell into her hands, she felt like screaming. The a Doctor would know what to do, he'd be even more furious than she was, but at least he'd know what to do.

Kit felt the need to change the conversation so she would maybe forget about what she saw today, it didn't hit him as much as it did her. The fact humans had stolen all of that stuff hurt her, but he could understand. From what he'd gathered every living thing, alien or not, that had once owned those items was now deceased or a prisoner inside Torchwood. So he thought hard and finally just spoke something, anything he could think of which wasn't to do with Torchwood.

"Those things...the Raslox?" He smiled lightly when she raised her head from the table. "They said Gallifrey or something after they did that scan thing on you. What's that?" Noticing her smile, he almost sighed at the thought she was calming down.

"It's where I'm from. My planet." She spoke quietly as to not catch anyone's unwanted attention. "Gallifrey."

"Is that where your husband is?"

"No." Sky chuckled, he could have been anywhere but there. "It's gone, my home, lost in a war." Her mouth became dry and she swallowed hard. "There's no going home for us anymore, we just travel."

"I'm sorry." Kit frowned.

"It wasn't your fault." Picking up the mug in her hand, Sky watched the light foam on the top swirl in time with the hot liquid underneath. She wanted to smile at him, she really did. It wasn't until Lupa appeared behind her eyes that she shook herself. It was time to move on. "It was some form of evil." Sky licked her lips and smiled at Kit. "But they're all gone now, nothing to worry about."

There was a short silence after she spoke, both of them just sipping from their mugs and watching out the large window by their side. Sky still didn't know what she was going to do concerning the man in front of her. She still had yet to ask him if he wanted to come with her, wherever she was going. But she couldn't just straight out ask him, she had to build into it.

"But anyway...London...treating you well?" She tried to be casual she really did, but she'd never really talked to a human. Sarah Jane very briefly through a communicator back when she was the one traveling with the Doctor years ago. But that was a quick hello...not sat and having to converse.

"I guess. It's different to Scotland that's for sure." He answered as he looked out the window and up at the tall sky scrapers which surrounded them.

"I'm surprised you aren't off calling your friends and telling them what you saw." Smirking, Sky saw as Kit's smile dropped this time and he looked away awkwardly.

"No one to call really." Kit spoke quietly and fiddled with the neckline of his white t-shirt. "I only knew my girlfriend when I moved down. Never really had time to meet anyone else since."

"Hmm, you know sometimes that's not always the worst thing." Their eyes met from across the table and Sky smirked. "No people to warn, you could just take off...go wherever." Unless he had a job, but that wouldn't be a problem, time travel and all...why was she getting so into this? "But then there's always a job."

"No, no job either." Kit shook his head. "Well I work for myself, I'm just a freelance artist sort of. I do paintings on the river side."

"Aw, how sweet." She scrunched her nose up at him cutely. "People or scenery?"

"Both, depends on the day really I guess." He watched her and she was looking at him curiously as if in thought. "You want to ask something?" He quoted her from before, smiling teasingly as she narrowed her eyes at him and leant forward on the table. The sun was beginning to set, casting a red glow upon the coffee shop and it was starting to rain, so much for the warm British summer weather.

"Just earlier, you said you enjoyed it." She spoke calmly and slowly, perfectly pronouncing each word as she thought about it all. She didn't want to give him the wrong idea, after all she still had her Doctor. But her Doctor had been right, some company would be good. "And...you could come along with me if you wanted."

"Come along with you." The way he repeated her words gave Sky the impression he knew what she meant, he just didn't know how to take them.

"We travel sometimes, with friends. Showing them things." Sky explained briefly and remembered the time she had been the Doctors very first companion. Their first trip being in a stolen TARDIS just to the next Galaxy over. But it had been so beautiful, to leave her planet finally after learning about it all. To actually see it...it would be nice to know she had made someone feel all the way she had that day. "Worlds they never even knew existed. Times they did know of but couldn't imagine."

"And you want me to come with you?" Kit practically repeated himself again as he fidgeted in his seat.

"Well you seem like you could handle it, and that's a rare trait." Sky smirked at him and looked behind around herself to make sure no one was listening. "But there's a possibility of danger. And it would only be as a friend, not you know..." She made an odd face, both of them waiting for her to finish as they watched each other.

"I get it." Kit finally laughed. "But no offence, married aliens aren't really my thing."

"Okay good, so you can come if you want to." She smiled small. "But if you don't want to then-"

"I didn't say no." He interrupted her again and this time she smiled wide, laughing when he appeared to be sheepish and avoided her gaze. "I want to."

After finishing their coffees, Sky led Kit back to the TARDIS which she had hidden in an alley after retrieving it from Hyde Park. It stayed a telephone box this time, not as bulky and old fashioned than the Doctors own TARDIS.

"So where would you want to go?" Sky smiled and swung the key to the TARDIS around her finger as they walked down the busy street together. It was a lot less stressful than the rest of the day, but the Torchwood Institute still bothered her. She'd let it go though, she didn't know enough yet.

Kit started to shake his head cluelessly. "I don't know." It wasn't as if he had ever really though about it. "Anywhere you would suggest?"

"Hmm...if you want to go back...the 3rd Century is alright, Ancient Rome and all that." She smiled but Kit was having a hard time believing what she was saying could actually happen. "Forward...all of it. You can't really go wrong I say. Every bit is different but just as good."

"Forward it is then." Both smiling, they pushed forward and came to the TARDIS. Sky soon opened the door and yet again Sky went straight up to the console while Kit stood by the doors just looking around him. He had noticed before, that Sky had referred to the TARDIS as a 'she' and he didn't really understand why until now. When he stepped in, it felt alive. Everything around him felt as though it had a pulse and life running through it.

"You should pick up some things first. I have to live with a man who insists on only wearing one outfit. I'll be dammed if I let you do it to." She smirked and she thought of the Doctor probably still running around in that same brown pinstriped suit. And this time, she felt less pain as with the a Doctors image, came their children's. It wasn't much less, her hearts still ached but she felt the need to smile at their memory instead of cry. "So...your address Scottish Kit?"

"17 Granger Road." He answered as he joined her at the console and looked over all of the different controls, but never daring to touch anything.

"Good, now...you might want to hold on again for this bit." She slammed the lever down, sending the TARDIS shaking again but it seemed to only be a short trip as after a couple of minutes they stilled and she nodded for Kit to go look. Sky had focused on his house, his living room precisely so if she was good, and she was very good, they should have landed right there in said living room.

"That's mental, how did you do that?"

"Oh I'm very good." Sky spoke out what she was thinking herself and laughed as she ran to join him outside the TARDIS and in his...kitchen. Well...she was still very good. But then Kit frowned, seeing his answering machine blinking quickly.

He walked over to the small box and hit a button, sending a woman's voice sounding through the room.

"Kit? Just wondering why you haven't called for so long. I mean, a week is normal but three weeks?" The first message sounded and it seemed normal, the boy obviously just wasn't very close to his parents.

"Listen I know things are hard but this is ridiculous. Your mother is getting worried, if we didn't know better we would call the police but-" Kit hit the forward button before it could carry on, this was obviously something he didn't want Sky to hear.

"Kit! Kit Avery! This is your mother and this is not funny! Answer this phone! It's been long enough and it is done. If you don't call back then...if it's about them...oh forget it" The caller trailed off and then hung up.

Sky pretended she wasn't listening but she had been and she was starting to get a very bad feeling about it all. The massages increased in anger as they went on and Kit's face twisted more and more with each message.

"That makes no sense." He whispered under his breath. "I called them yesterday, last night. It was the first time in a while yeah but not three weeks. These messages are new." Uh oh.

"Everything alright?" She knew it wasn't but played it casual...maybe he won't notice. He'll just call them and everything will be fine and they'll be gone before he even knows what's up.

"Yeah...just..." Kit trailed off as he took a seat on the couch and his eyes landed and stayed of something. Sky followed his gaze to an electric clock which stated the time...and the date. Inwardly she cringed and prepared herself. "It's the 12th of September..."

"Is it?" Her head screamed at her to play it casual but she was finding it quite hard. "Is that..." She couldn't keep it up when Kit looked to her and she winced. "Okay...so maybe I'm not that good."

"We traveled forward a month?" He gaped. "Just there, in that thing. We time traveled forward a whole month?"

"Apparently so, completely accidental though...sorry." Sky cringed and leant back against the TARDIS's exterior. She was expecting him to be angry at her, livid, for making his parents angry at him and making him miss a month of his life. But instead he started to laugh, slowly at first but then he got louder and just shook his head from side to side.

"No harm done...was there?" He suddenly became worried but settled when Sky shook her head. "It could be worse...could have been a year." Sky smiled, relieved, and walked around to take a seat next to him on the couch.

"Will your parents be okay?" She didn't want to cause any problems for him already.

"Course, I've gone longer than this before without calling them. We're not exactly close." He focused on his hands which were fidgeting. "They're my adoptive parent so..."

"Oh...well then...but you should still call them." Sky took his phone off him before retrieving her sonic screwdriver. "I've had children...raised them when they weren't exactly mine." She spoke and thought back to the loom days when their 'children' we're really just cousins. "But I'd still worry and I'd still want to hear from them."

"What do you-" Kit was interrupted as she buzzed the device in her hands before passing it back to him. "What are you doing?"

"There, you can call from wherever you are now. Forwards backwards, different planet. No excuses." She knew she was talking to him like a mother but if it were her child, she'd want a call. "You want to come with me, you have to call them."

"Are you always this bossy?" Kit laughed and stuffed the phone back in his pocket. In the back of his mind he knew she was right which is why he didn't get mad at her bossing him around on the subject. The frequency of his calls home was always bothering him but they were awkward. Never the less, he could try. Maybe he needed someone like her to force him to.

"People say it but I don't believe them." Sky pouted and then stood, going to look at all of the photos stood on the shelfs above the fireplace in his living room. She chuckled when it showed a child who must have been him.

"Right..." He rolled his eyes. Kit was surprised how comfortable he already seemed to feel around the woman...or Time Lord. He didn't know whether it was her race that it was a trait to or just her, but to be able to tell her he was adopted and laugh at her so easily was...strange. But a very good strange. "I'll go get some stuff. Anything particular I'll need?"

"Erm...no." Sky's face twisted, glancing at him quickly before continuing to look around the room curiously. "Just clothes, phone, anything really personal. The TARDIS will make everything else for you." Kit just nodded and then left the room. She heard him running up stairs and went back to fall on the couch, choosing to reach out to that hum in her head.

'Theta?'

'Everything alright?' His voice was full of urgency, expecting her to be in some form of trouble for reaching out.

'Yes.' She laughed at him. 'Just to let you know, you won.'

'I knew I would.' Theta smirked. 'Be careful though, don't go showing off.'

'I'm not you Theta, and the same goes to you. Be careful.' It was a warning, an indefinite warning that he was to come back to her safely.

'You know I always am.' She could sense his smile, and he was focusing on her just as much as she was focusing on him.

'Theta?' Even in their minds they had shared a moment of silence, just enjoying the feeling of the other one being there finally even if they weren't together.

'I love you.' He spoke as if reading her mind, which he could have essentially done.

'I love you too.' She smiled and let the feeling dull. It was nice having that ability, she always came away with a smile, or in this case a grin. She had just jumped forward a month and he could have lived through a year since they last talked, that's just how time worked for them. But they could talk and that's all that mattered.

"Sky!" Kit's shriek from upstairs woke her from her peaceful and for once happy thoughts, making her stand from the couch in a second before running up the stairs to him. She wouldn't have rushed had it not been for the shock and fear in his voice.

"What is it?" She saw him standing in the doorway to what looked to be his bedroom and walked towards him with her head tilted. Kit didn't speak, nor did he ever looked at her, instead he kept his focus on whatever was behind the door. She sighed and walked forward faster, rounding the door to stand by Kit's side.

When she finally laid eyes on what he was seeing, she too stopped still. It was a blur...

A human shaped blur. A grey human shaped blur. And it moved slightly as if it was changing from one foot to the next. It even took a step forward at one point, causing the two of them to step back quick.

"They're here! They're here!" A voice screamed outside, it sounded like a child and Sky waited for the screaming to start. But it never came...laughter did however and she frowned. Attempting to step forward, Sky only got one step before Kit pulled her back.

"What are you doing?" He asked, still eyeing the...shadow almost.

"It's fine. Trust me." And for some unknown reason he did and let her go, watching her walk around the thing and over to his window. When she looked out to the street, there were dozens more of the same thing. Exactly the same shape, exactly the same movements. Everywhere and people were just playing around them, watching them and smiling. Something was wrong. "How long has this been happening?"

"What? Never. This is the first time I've seen anything like this." Kit answered confused. "What is it?"

"I don't know but it's been here before and recently..." Sky scanned the figure but the results came up null as if nothing was even there to scan. "No ones running so you lot are familiar with them. You heard that girl saying they're here?" Kit nodded but they both jumped when the shape faded and then suddenly disappeared from sight. "Something's happened. In the month we've skipped something's happened." Sky seemed to stumble backwards but then quickly ran down out and down the stairs, straight out the house and into the street.

"Excuse me?" She called to the first person she saw. It was a man in his early 50's maybe, stood in his garden trimming the hedges. She heard Kit's hard footsteps as he had followed her and he looked out over the street which was back to normal as she approached the man. "Sorry but...what was that, that just happened?"

"Ha! Where have you been?" The man laughed in her face, literally, after setting down his trimmers. "They were the ghosts. Who never noticed them before?" The ghosts? She could have laughed right back in his face at that.

"Well I've been away, on holiday."

"To where? The moon, they're all over the world!" Kit had joined them and his face twisted even more than Sky's.

"Something like that yeah." She mumbled quickly, the admission going straight over the mans head. "How long has this been happening?"

"About...three weeks? A month?" The man shrugged. "They just showed up one day, everywhere they were. The whole world panicked and ran away from them but then when everyone realised there was no one to run from and actually looked. We all realised they were harmless, nothing to worry about." Sky had a very bad feeling. Things didn't just show up and go away by themselves and if they did it wasn't for nothing. "They do shifts, that was the night one just gone."

"And what are they exactly?" Kit took over asking the very question on the tip of Sky's tongue.

"They're the ghosts. People we've lost. The other side crossing over, coming back to us." Sky could only nod, she had got all the answers she needed and with a brief smile of thanks to the man Sky retreated back to the house and fell back onto the couch. She found the tv remote on Kit's coffee table and flicked on the television, it didn't take her long to find what she was hoping for.

"They're everywhere...literally everywhere." Sky whispered to no one as it was a few minutes until Kit joined her. "But they can't be ghosts...why do you humans always just settle for the simplest answer?" She shook her head, deciding to ignore Kit's shrug.

"What are they then? I mean they certainly...looked human shaped."

"Yes but I'm human shaped and even if millions of Time Lords started popping up all over this world people would be a little worried." Sky rambled on as she flicked through the channels, all that seemed to be on were programmes about the 'ghosts'. Ghosts in reality TV, in soaps, in documentaries, in the news, in front of the Sydney Opera House. There were millions and millions, gathered everywhere.

"So...are they dangerous?" Kit asked, looking worried. Sky turned to look at him after letting herself sit back so her back pressed against the sofa.

"Not right now...but that doesn't mean they won't become it." Her voice was serious and dark, a lot less light hearted than it had been only a short while ago. "I'm sorry, but we might have to stake out here for a while. An adventure without having to leave your own home." She smiled at Kit and then looked to the TARDIS, before back at him. "Would you mind at all, in this brief delay, if I left the TARDIS here?"

"You want to stay here?" He asked, shocked she was wanting to keep him involved in whatever was happening.

"Yeah, I don't like walking much and if I'm going to work out what they really are..." She paused to smile. "I'll need someone's help."

"Of course, not as if it's that big." Kit attempted to joke but ended up laughing at himself and Sky cringed. "I'll work on them. But where do we start? Do we like catch one?" Laughing, Sky slowly shook her head and Kit looked sheepish but then she stopped and slapped his arm.

"You might be right actually." If the kid kept coming in handy like that all the time it might actually be a good thing for him to come along. "Come on." An evening in the TARDIS store rooms was in order.

A month passed. One whole month. And nothing. Absolutely nothing. Nothing showed up on the scans. Nothing showed up on tests she'd done. Nothing. Sky had even resorted to going back to Torchwood Industries to try and find something out. Herself and Kit had separately searched each floor and nothing, not a whisper, not even a breath of anything related to the Ghosts. It was ridiculous. She still tried of course but the longer she was there and the more she saw the ghosts the less threatened she even started to feel.

As for her and Kit, they had grown closer. They could even consider each other as friends now, who could talk and laugh easily together. But then again, they didn't really have a choice seeing as her TARDIS still stood in the corner of his kitchen. She was practically living with him...but not as she was actually in another dimension in the TARDIS...but same difference. Most of their night consisted of her working as they both watched tv, trying not to let the ghosts make them crazy and Sky hassling him to call his mother. Which he now did...a little more often than before.

"What are we doing today?" Kit asked as they walked side by side though the outskirts of the city. He was wearing pretty much what he always did, slim jeans and a t-shirt of some kind. Whereas Sky was wearing thick black leggings and a long loose emerald green t-shirt with a chunky black cardigan keeping her warm and black knee high boots. She had maybe gone on a little shopping spree while here after a trip to a cash point with her screw driver. Sky laughed at the memory, Kit's face had been a picture, she thought he was going to pass out when she had flashed the £200 in his face.

"Walking and looking. It's an observing day." She answered quickly but they walked slow. A pattern had been asserting itself over the past week or two, the 'ghosts' we're almost becoming more formatted. Standing in patterns...becoming more lined up it almost seemed. But she had to go see them for herself.

"Right." Kit rolled his eyes at her. "Any particular reason for that?" It was like trying to get blood out of a stone sometimes, he had to work to get her to talk to him about some things. It was like she expected him to read her mind and already know.

"I've noticed a pattern, or what is becoming a pattern." She had mentioned it before to him, but never really explained it.

"Is this to do with their footprints again?" Oh, now that she had explained to him. She still didn't get over how it had took her so long to notice but she had only seen it when they where in the park and a ghost had appeared in the wet mud. Sky had approached in and watched like she always did during the shift and when it was over, on the off chance she looked down and gasped. The 'ghost' had left a footprint, which meant it wasn't a ghost like the humans knew. Something was actually there, something real and hard. And it had the footprint of a boot.

She didn't know what to think but it wasn't good and she had a feeling, if it was what she thought it was. That they were all in very big trouble and she had to get figuring it out soon.

"Sort of." If they were formatting and boots...it sounded a bit too much like an army for Sky's liking.

"It weird though, they're sort of becoming familiar." Kit smiled as they walked between two blocks of flats and towards a small field.

"You're starting to sound like everyone else." Every human loved the ghosts now, and it was starting make them money. Merchandise, television shows, films, action figures. Everything. You couldn't go a day without hearing about how everyone loved the freaking ghosts.

"I'm just saying, after a few weeks it begins to feel normal. But it can't be can it?" Sky noticed the man frown as he glanced at her. "It won't stay like this."

"No, but I agree. You start to expect them." It was strange, because they just stood there all blurry. One had appeared in his living room one morning shift and just stood there, it looked like it was watching them, everywhere it walked it would turn back to watch them. Strange was the word. "Speaking of which, what's the time?"

Kit looked at his watch. "Ten past."

"Two minutes." Sky muttered under her breath and they came to a small clearing between some blocks of flats but before the field. Some kids were playing with a ball and a few people were stood chatting. Here would do. They stood against a wall and waited the short two minutes until 12 minutes past. On the dot, the blurry figures appeared. As expected they were moving closer to each other, in front of them were two very badly formed wobbly lines but they were there. No one would realise but Sky...Sky had been watching and there it was. There were a few solos dotted around but the time would come and when it did, that was the time she dreaded. "See they're forming lines." She pointed over for Kit. "Slowly but surely."

"What does that mean?" He was interrupted when a door banged open from their left and two figures came running out.

No...no! Sky found herself grinning before she could even contain herself and she stood up straight off the wall, taking a couple of steps forward.

"Doctor?"


	15. Army Of Ghosts Part 2

moonlightprincess99 - Thank you for reading and reviewing! Hehe, I couldn't leave this episode out, I love it too! Thanks for liking Kit too, I was a little nervous whether people would like the character and the whole idea of him :) he might have a little bit of a confusing future though. Also, just incase you wanted to know I pictured Richard Madden as Kit when I was thinking up the character.

"They're everywhere!" He hadn't even seen her, his eyes already just focused on the ghosts. Everyone else was a distraction for him, but she wouldn't let that last long.

"Doctor?" Sky called out after few seconds of just letting the happiness sink in. It was so silly, such a girlish human thing to do but she felt her heart jump and it was hard to breath for a second. She knew what it was straight away though. It was love. She knew because...it was the exact same feeling she got when she'd see him walking home across the red fields after weeks of being away traveling. Sky used to run into his arms and let him swing her around as they kissed, but that didn't feel appropriate yet.

The moment the Doctor heard her voice he saw her, stood just to the side of where he had been looking. His face changed, from concentration to shock to confusion to happiness. But he seemed to be stuck in the confusion zone for quite a bit.

"Doctor, look out!" Rose yelled, he was so caught up with Sky's presence that he didn't see the ghost creeping up behind him. The blurred shape walked through the Doctor and Sky had never had it happen to herself but it didn't look comfortable.

Another figure ran out of the block of flats behind them, it was a woman...who looked remarkably like an older version of Rose.

"You know them?" Kit asked and she could only nod before grinning again and turning to look at him.

"That's my husband." The surprise on the young mans face evident as he looked at Sky and then to the man she had called out to. Sky started towards the Doctor, holding herself back from running...which she succeeded in doing for a couple of meters. But it was too tempting, it had been a month and she wanted to feel him again. So she started jogging, and then running and before she knew it she had jumped into his arms and he was swinging her around. "I missed you." Sky whispered in his ear before she could help herself as he lowered her to the ground but kept his arms around her waist.

"Quite right too." He smirked as his eyes ran over her body for any bumps or imperfections. But she was fine and he held her at arms length, grinning at her. "Hello, I missed you too." And he pulled her back into a tight hug, holding her close. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Prefect now." Sky smiled and pulled back just enough to put a hand to his cheek.

"Eh Doctor?" Rose cleared her throat, an unreadable expression on her face. "The ghosts?"

"Oh yeah." The Doctor forced himself to pull away from Sky and put his glasses on to look at the blurry figures. Whereas Sky stepped back to where Kit had joined them.

"This is Kit." She spoke casually as the man seemed a bit awkward. "Kit this is the Doctor and Rose Tyler...and I don't believe we've met." Sky smiled at the older woman.

"This is my mum, Jackie." Rose introduced the two. "Mum this is Sky...she's married to the Doctor." Sky heard the distaste in Rose's voice.

"Nice to meet you Jackie." Sky smiled none the less.

"You too sweetheart." The older woman spoke and looked at Sky in shock but still with friendly eyes, but it turned to annoyance as she glared at the Doctor's back. "Why didn't you tell me you were married?"

"I..." The Doctor turned back from the ghosts and stuttered, straightening when he saw Jackie's face. "I er...I..." He trailed off and changed the direction of his gaze to Kit. "Hello, nice to meet you' I'm the Doctor." He held his hand out to Kit who shook it enthusiastically. "Now. What do you know about these?"

"They haven't got long." Kit answered, looking at his watch before Sky could ask. "Midday shift only lasts a couple of minutes."

"Meaning?" The Doctor looked to him.

"They're about to fade." Sky answered this time.

"Wait. What do you mean, shift? Since when did ghosts have shifts? Since when did shifts have ghosts?" The Doctor hadn't been here long but judging by Sky's and her friends reaction, they had. He turned towards them both. "What's going on?"

"Wouldn't you just love to know." She teased, smirking and he replied the look.

"Oh, he's not happy when others know more than him, is he?" They heard Jackie ask Rose and Sky chuckled.

"But no one's running or screaming or freaking out." The Doctor got all high pitched and squeaky as he looked around at the blurred figures around them.

"Why should we?" Jackie asked, gesturing to the peace. "Here we go. Twelve minutes past." The figured blurred then, slowly, until there was nothing left. And then everything continued on like normal, everyone looking around them like nothing was going on apart from The Doctor and Sky.

"How long have they been here?" The Doctor turned to Sky again, his face serious.

"Two months, started the day after we got here." She wasted no time in beginning to explain what they had seen over the past month. If anyone could get somewhere in figuring this out it was him.

"But we've only seen the past month." Kit butted in and Sky didn't miss his smirk.

"What were you doing the first month?" The Doctor frowned and looked between the two.

"I had some...technical difficulties with the TARDIS. I was giving Kit a lift across the city and sort of...skipped forward a month." Rose burst into laughter, to which no one joined in with. But the Doctor was grinning, he was tempted to. "When we landed...they were already here and everyone had already got used to them."

"I knew you weren't ready to fly it alone." The Doctor quipped, desperate to make some sort of comment. "But you've seen them for a month. Know anything about them?"

"Barely anything." Sky shook her head. "But there is one or two things...I think I need to show you the full extent of it first." The Doctor only nodded and gestured for her to follow them back into the block of flats, which they all did.

"Cup of tea?" Jackie asked, popping her head out from the kitchen. But they all shook their heads as Sky and the Doctor sat on the sofa and Rose and Kit stood awkwardly next to each other. "Sandwiches? Pop? Sure no one wants a cup of tea?"

"Kit will." Sky spoke just to make the woman happy. "Kit go help Jackie, be a good visitor." Without a word, the boy turned before he was dragged into the kitchen by Jackie.

"She'll eat him alive." Rose smiled, making Sky laugh before going back to focusing on the TV.

"On today's Ghostwatch, claims that some of the ghosts are starting to talk, and there seems to be a regular -" A, what used to be, respectable presenter hosted.

"And tonight we're expecting very strong ghosts from London, through the North and up into Scotland." On the weather too.

"So basically, Eileen, what you're telling me is, that you are in love with a ghost." Trisha episode, full of all the normal mental people and ghosts.

"He's my ghost, and I love him twenty four seven." Good lord, Sky couldn't believe it. Every morning she would turn on the television thinking the worst had been on, but there it was, more rubbish.

"Well, no one needs me anymore!" Derek Acorah now.

"My ghost was pale and grey until I discovered Ectoshine!" And an advertisement, more humans making money out of something they didn't understand.

"It's all over the world." The Doctor shook his head, taking his glasses off to rub a hand over his eyes.

"Listen to me, Den Watts. I don't care if you have come back from the grave. Get out of my pub! The only spirits I'm serving in this place are gin, whisky and vodka. So, you heard me. Get out!" Easterners...Sky had landed a month ago not knowing what 'soaps' were quite happily but now...well she'd rather not get into it.

He had seen enough and the Doctor got up and turned the TV off. "When did it start?"

"Well, first of all, Peggy heard this noise in the cellar, so she goes down-" Sky fell into it all too easily...and her cover was blown without her even realising.

"No...no..." The Doctor stopped her and just stared at her for a long while. "I mean worldwide."

"Oh." A bright blush spread across her cheeks. "Like I said, about two months ago. Just happened apparently." Sky started when Jackie led Kit back into the living room and patted down the couch cushions for him to sit on. She was definitely a mum.

"Yeah. Woke up one morning, and there they all were. Ghosts, everywhere. We all ran round screaming and that. Whole planet was panicking. No sign of you, thank you very much. Then it sort of sank in." She spoke like a whirlwind. "It took us time to realise that we're lucky."

"Yeah I've heard a lot of people use that word. Lucky." Kit pointed out, remembering the dozens of people Sky had sent him out to talk to.

"What makes you think it's granddad?" Rose closed her eyes to try and understand as she watched her mum.

"It just feels like him. There's that smell, those old cigarettes. Can't you smell it?"

"I wish I could, mum, but I can't." It wasn't the first time sky had heard all this. The smells, the sounds, the touch. What the Doctor had felt when he was walked through, other people took that as a spirit.

"You've got to make an effort. You've got to want it, sweetheart." Jackie cried to her daughter.

"The more you want it, the stronger it gets." The Doctor said and glanced at Sky.

"Sort of, yeah." Jackie agreed, nodding and put a hand to Kit's shoulder. Something which didn't go unnoticed, but there was no time for fooling around.

"Like a psychic link." Sky spoke just as the Doctor thought it. She went through it all but she just hadn't got much further. "Of course you want your old dad to be alive, but you're wishing him into existence. The ghosts are using that to pull themselves in."

"You're spoiling it. Just as bad as him." Sky could only look to the woman sadly. She knew it was upsetting but it was the truth.

"I'm sorry, but there's no smell, there's no cigarettes." The female Time Lord spoke quietly from the Doctor's side. "It's just a memory."

"But if they're not ghosts, what are they then?" Rose asked the woman, slightly defensive over her mums upset state.

"Yeah, but they're human!" Jackie called out this time. "You can see them. They look human."

"She's got a point. I mean, they're all sort of blurred, but they're definitely people." This was everything Sky had initially thought as well. The same conversation was a one herself and Kit had been through weeks ago.

"Maybe not. They're pressing themselves into the surface of the world." The Doctor thought, looking passed everyone at the room as he thought.

"Their footprints are boots." Suddenly Sky spoke afterwards, and the Doctor turned to her in a flash.

"What?"

"Whatever it is, they leave a mark. They aren't just ghosts and their footprint is a boot." She said only looking at the Doctor. "And they're organising themselves. We've been watching them every day. And each shift they move more into a pattern, like they're putting themselves into lines. Like an army."

The Doctor and Sky watched each other for a long time then, the Doctor frowning before swallowing and scratching the back of his head.

"Right then...we better find out where they're coming from."

They left Jackie's flat, all five of them and walked to the Doctors TARDIS to get to work. The Doctor had a plan so they all just went along with it. The Doctor navigated the TARDIS to a near by field, all the while Sky explained the things she had been doing and saw over the past month...especially Torchwood.

"They're doing what?" The Doctor twisted his face, circling throughout the TARDIS. He wasn't happy. Every motion after that became heavy and heated, she knew he would be angry.

"That's what I thought. I didn't do anything really, I thought I'd better wait for you." Sky spoke and flicked a switch she was closer to, to save him reaching for it across the console. "But when this all started we went back, but found nothing, not a whisper."

"Well don't worry, wherever it's coming from. We'll find it." The Doctor spoke softer now and looked up at the console, before focusing on his wife. "How long has it been for you? Just a month?"

"Yeah? How long for you?"

"Only a week." He smiled and slowly stepped closer to her. "And you're okay?"

"Of course." Sky wanted so badly to press herself into him but she couldn't. "I've had company just like you wanted."

"He seems nice." The Doctor laughed at how defeated she sounded. "Scottish? I wouldn't mind being Scottish." Unable to hold herself back any longer, she reached up on her toes just to simply kiss his cheek. It wasn't a big thing, or that much of an affectionate thing, but it made him stop and focus on her wholly.

"Doctor?" Rose called out just as the TARDIS began to re-materialise. She really didn't want the two of them to have any sort of moment did she?

"Yes." He spoke but only very quietly. "Yes, come on."

They were all led outside into the small park and left there when the Doctor ran back into the TARDIS. Not that he was alone for long as Rose ran back in after him.

"I get a hostile feeling from her." Kit whispered to Sky, eerie of jackie who was nearby.

"Me too...I think she holds an attachment to the Doctor." Sky explained as she looked at the TARDIS. "It's...I'm...we haven't been back together for long...I was...it's complicated." She told Kit with a sigh. "But I came back after she had began to fall for him I think."

"Well...show her what's yours." Kit smirked, not pushing her on the subject of the complicated issue. He was sure that one day she would tell him if he needed or she wanted him to know.

"What do you mean?" Frowning with confusion, Sky looked to Kit and watched his smirk grow.

"Just...make it plain to her that you're the one married to him." Then she understood, but she wasn't sure. She still didn't feel comfortable kissing him on the cheek without worrying he wasn't ready, never mind slobbering all over him.

"We'll see." Was the only reply the boy got from her, then the Doctor and Rose ran back out.

"When's the next shift?" As the Doctor laid out three very odd looking metal cones on the grass in a triangle, Sky noticed his...backpack and groaned, he was going to do something nerdy and very him.

"Quarter to. But don't go causing trouble." Jackie looked worried and eyed the equipment. "What's that lot do?"

"Triangulates their point of origin." Ah of course...Sky thought. She had wanted to do that but she didn't have the technology to do it, and they would take years to get the supplies for.

"I don't suppose it's the Gelth?"

"Nah. They were just coming through one little rift. This lot are transposing themselves over the whole planet. Like tracing paper." Sky and Kit just stood and watched, all the time all Kit could think was how alike they were, Sky and the Doctor man. Maybe the Doctor was a little more verbal but still they were very similar.

"You're always doing this. Reducing it to science." Jackie moaned as the Doctor and her daughter ran around. "Why can't it be real? Just think of it, though. All the people we've lost. Our families coming back home. Don't you think it's beautiful?"

"I think it's horrific." It was hard not to laugh at the Doctors bluntness. "Rose, give us a hand."

They ran back into the TARDIS but the doctor seemed to come running straight back out and activated the cone just a minute before the shift was meant to begin.

"What's the line doing?" He shouted back through to the TARDIS.

"It's all right. It's holding!" They heard Rose yell back through as Sky watched Jackie enter the TARDIS. She looked sad as she stepped through the doors and looked at Rose.

"Here we go." Sky commented as the shift began and heaven behold the blurry figure appeared in-between the triangles.

"The scanner's working. It says delta one six."

"Come on then, you beauty!" After a few seconds the ghost began to writhe inside of the origin field. "Don't like that much, do you? Who are you? Where are you coming from? Whoa!" It was only at that point at which Sky and Kit noticed the glasses, old school 3D glasses. But she didn't want to know. They were more interesting than the ghost as it tried to break out but she had a slight idea why they were needed. "That's more like it! Not so friendly now, are you?" The Doctor took a step back and looked at Sky. "Coming?"

"Send me the coordinates, I'll follow. The TARDIS is only five minutes run away. And twos always better than one." She smiled and the Doctor couldn't help but grin back at her, nodding before disappearing inside the TARDIS after gathering his equipment back up. Sky and Kit ran back to his to collect the TARDIS.

Luckily, Kit's house was literally only down the road from Jackie's flat and they reached in it in no time. By the time Sky had got them inside and started the engines, the Doctor had already sent the coordinates, to the found location, to her telepathically and they were away.

"How do you know where we're going? He hasn't sent you anything." Kit queried as they started to deserialise from out of his kitchen and to wherever the hell the ghosts were coming from. Finally they were getting somewhere and it had only taken 1 hour of the Doctors company.

"Oh yeah...he has." Sky shook her head and ran around to turn a ball just right, trying to get the two TARDIS's to connect so they could land side by side. But it had been a while so it took a bit of concentration. "Time Lords...we have telepathic links so he has...just to my mind." She didn't have time to look at Kit's face but she wished she did, because out the corner of her eyes it looked very amusing.

"Oh right...totally normal then." She didn't have time to respond but she laughed gloriously when the TARDIS landed smoothly. Oh she was getting good, too good. With a spring in her step, she ran to the doors of the TARDIS and stepped out casually, but when she looked up all good feelings were gone.

There were men with guns, lots of guns, all now loaded with the safety off and pointed at her. Sky slammed the door shut behind her, a silent massage to Kit she hoped he understood, and raised her hand to her head. Looking to her left, Sky saw the Doctor already stood outside his own TARDIS with...Jackie...by his side. Odd.

"Oh my god...there's two of you." A woman suddenly seemed to gasp and Sky's eyes soon fixed on a smartly dressed woman stood in front of the all to familiar looking guards. "I didn't even know there was anyone but you Doctor?" This woman asked in a questioning tone. This seemed to be the cue for Sky to lower her arms and she looked at the Doctor. "We've heard of The Doctor and the Tardis." Sky was taken back when the woman and guards all started to applaud towards the Doctor. "Please introduce yourself."

Sky didn't really know what to do. Where the hell had the Doctor brought them? Well actually she could make a pretty good guess.

"The Sky." This seemed like one of the times her full name would gain her more advantages. "And you are?

"Oh, plenty of time for that." The woman looked to be trying to look past Sky and smiled awkwardly. "And where is your companion?"

"Oh no..." Sky looked to the Doctor. "She travels alone, little bit of a loner."

'He should stay with Rose.' She didn't need to do anything for him to know she agreed.

"Yeah, don't like the company. See for yourself." She hoped Kit was hearing all of this as she opened the door with a hand which held her psychic paper out of view. Sky watched as the woman peered in curiously, but when she felt him take the paper she slammed it shut, letting it lock to keep anyone the TARDIS itself didn't want in, out. "Anyway, lead on." This seemed to please as the woman turned, marching out and the soldiers followed, allowing Sky to exchange a look with the Doctor.

'You think it's alright?' She asked but he didn't reply which only meant one thing, he honestly didn't know. However, as he fell into step beside her, the Doctor squeezed her hand and let go just as quick.

'They can't know, or they'll use it against us.' She didn't have to be told twice.

Before she forgot, she thought back to the psychic paper and sent Kit a small message so he wasn't left in the dark without a clue what to do.

'Stay in the TARDIS, and stay with Rose...also try not to get into trouble.' As she thought, it should have came up on the paper for him to read but only time would tell.

They were lead into a warehouse and for Sky it was like Deja vu. Crates were stacked up ten times higher, all the way to the ceiling, and this was a completely different warehouse. And suddenly it hit Sky. She had been searching the right company, but it was completely the wrong building.

"It was only a matter of time until you found us, and at last you've made it. I'd like to welcome you, Doctor...and Sky. Welcome to Torchwood." Sky watched the Doctor as his face straightened and he looked around himself. What they saw next surprised the three of them, a spaceship, a full on spaceship in the middle of the warehouse.

"That's a Jathar Sunglider." The Doctor gaped, walking over to it.

"Came down to Earth off the Shetland Islands ten years ago." The fact she had the audacity to smile as she spoke was what angered Sky most.

"It crashed?" The Time Lord hissed through her teeth.

"No, we shot it down. It violated our airspace. Then we stripped it bare." It made them both feel sick, she could sense it through their bonding link. "The weapon that destroyed the Sycorax on Christmas Day? That was us." Sycorax? Sky didn't even want to know. "Now, if you'd like to come with me. The Torchwood Institute has a motto. If it's alien, it's ours. Anything that comes from the sky, we strip it down and we use it for the good of the British Empire." There that phrase was again, the British Empire.

"For the good of the what?" Oh good, so Sky wasn't the only one to pick up on it.

"The British Empire."

"There isn't a British Empire." Sky's voice was hard as she spoke, she didn't care how high up this woman was in a stupid business, she wasn't going to settle for these acts of selfishness and stupidity.

"Not yet. Ah, excuse me. Now, if you wouldn't mind." A passing soldier handed the woman a rather large gun, neither Time Lords had to ask what it was. "Do you recognise this, Doctor?"

"That's a particle gun." His voice lacked just as much enthusiasm and emotion as Sky's did.

"Good, isn't it? Took us eight years to get it to work." That lack of enthusiasm seemed to disappoint their host, it was almost as if she expected them to fawn over her and tell her oh how glorious this all was.

"It's the twenty first century. You can't have particle guns."

"We must defend our border against the alien." She handed the gun back and something in Sky sighed with relief. Not just any old someone should be passed that sort of gun. "Thank you, Sebastian." She smiled at the soldier before looking back to them "I think it's very important to know everyone by name. Torchwood is a very modern organisation. People skills. That's what it's all about these days. I'm a people person."

"Have you got anyone called Alonso?" The Doctor looked serious...she didn't even want to know.

"No, I don't think so. Is that important?"

"No, I suppose not." She really didn't want to know. "What was your name?"

"Yvonne. Yvonne Hartman." She held out her hand but both ignored it as they turned around and looked into a rather large crate. The Doctor was the first to reach in and he pulled out what looked to be a rather large magnet. "Ah, yes. Now, we're rather fond of these. The Magnaclamp. Found in a spaceship buried at the base of Mount Snowdon. Attach this to an object and it cancels the mass. I could use it to lift two tonnes of weight with a single hand. That's an imperial ton, by the way. Torchwood refuses to go metric."

"I could do with that to carry the shopping." Jackie smiled.

"All these devices are for Torchwood's benefit, not the general public's." So much for the good of the British Empire. But they had both had enough now. Enough of the tour. Enough of the explaining. They had only come here for one thing.

"So, what about these ghosts?" Sky was the first to ask, the Doctor seemed to look rather disappointed by it but she just smirked at him once she walked around Yvonne so she could see.

"Ah yes, the ghosts. They're er what you might call a side effect."

"Of what?" His face twisted as he desperately tried not to respond to Sky's actions. Whenever she so much as smiled, he wanted to smile right back at her.

"All in good time, Doctor. There is an itinerary, trust me." Her eyes moved to the left of them, causing both to look just in time.

"Hey! Where are you taking that?" Both TARDIS's were driven past them on the back of a truck, and while Sky starred at Yvonne with what could only be perceived as pure hatred, the Doctor watched on.

"If it's alien, it's ours." Yvonne smirked with a simple shrug of her shoulders. Ooh Sky could of punched her, just one good punch. But she didn't know where this was coming from. She had never been violent...at least she hadn't been until after she had regenerated after the war. Since then, she couldn't stand watching the suffering on the innocent.

"You'll never get inside them." The Doctor sounded almost as if he wanted to laugh.

"Hmm! Et cetera."


	16. Army Of Ghosts Part 3

"Through all my time here at Torchwood, I've never once heard of The Sky...only the Doctor." Yvonne spoke as she led them both down a corridor, glancing at the woman to her right.

"All those times I've been on Earth, I've never heard of you." The Doctor answered for her gladly, they weren't going to slip up or give anything away and Torchwood would get as much information from them as they did about the ghosts. Which was nothing so far.

"But of course not. You're the enemy. You're actually named in the Torchwood Foundation Charter of 1879 as an enemy of the Crown." Sky didn't want to know and hoped she never knew, because what it sounded like was that The Doctor was the reason why Torchwood was made. What could he possibly have done to make them hate aliens so much.

"1879. That was called Torchwood, that house in Scotland."

"That's right. Where you encountered Queen Victoria and the werewolf." Oh...that's what.

"I think he makes half of it up." Jackie commented, talking mainly to Sky as she watched the Doctor closely.

"Her Majesty created the Torchwood Institute with the express intention of keeping Britain great, and fighting the alien horde." Yvonne explained further, walking with more pompous attitude than Sky had ever seen. Her shoulders were pushed all the way back and if she held her chin any higher then she would have been looking at the ceiling.

"But if I'm the enemy, does that mean that I'm a prisoner?" The Doctor asked simply, walking as he always did, with curiosity but a purpose.

"Oh yes. The both of you are." She answered, eyeing Sky as she talked. They knew about the Doctor but she'd have a lot of fun learning all about The Sky. "But we'll make you perfectly comfortable. And there is so much you can teach us. Starting with this."

Yvonne suddenly stopped in front of a heavy secured black double door and they were forced to wait while she took out a badge and used it against the scanner to open the doors. The woman was the first to step through and the Doctor and Sky followed, however they soon overtook her when they saw what exactly they were supposed to be looking at.

It was a sphere, a big black orb floating at the back of the room a couple of meters off the ground. It was uncomfortable to look at as soon as Sky laid her eyes on it. Something told her to turn and run, some in built reaction told her to get out of that room. But she didn't know why, what she did know however was what it was. Faintly she could remember learning about them in the Academy. But they were rare things, very advanced things which not just any old somebody could get their hands on and use. This meant trouble.

"Now, what do you make of that?" Yvonne was smiling again and it angered Sky and the Doctor both. She had no idea what she was dealing with and she was too busy showing off all her positions and power to realise it.

"You must be the Doctor. Rajesh Singh. It's an honour, sir." Sky frowned slightly, seeing as no one was honoured to meet her...but maybe that was a good thing. While the Doctor ignored the man, the female Time Lord stepped past him and walked right up to the orb.

"What is that thing?" Jackie asked.

"We've got no idea."

"But what's wrong with it?"

"What makes you think there's something wrong with it?" Rajesh asked Jackie as he watched the Doctor walk up to join Sky, both of them just staring up at the orb with concentration.

"I don't know. It just feels weird." The older woman seemed to shy away from the orb, avoiding eye contact with it. It didn't feel right, cause it was...there. Just there.

"Well, the sphere has that effect on everyone. Makes you want to run and hide, like it's forbidden." This Dr Rajesh certainly hit the nail on the head there, Sky would be a lot happier right in that second if she was back out in the corridor.

"We tried analysing it using every device imaginable." Rajesh explained. Out the corner of her eyes, Sky saw the Doctor reach into his pocket and pulled out the same 3D glasses from before. "But according to our instruments, the sphere doesn't exist. It weighs nothing, it doesn't age. No heat, no radiation, and has no atomic mass."

"But I can see it." Jackie frowned and pointed up at the sphere.

"Fascinating, isn't it? It upsets people because it gives off nothing." The three figures standing behind Sky all looked up to the object in wonder. "It is absent."

"Well, Doctor?" When he stayed silent for more than just a few moments, Sky looked to him and sighed, turning to face the woman herself. He was too focused to talk.

"This is a Void Ship." Stating it as if they should have known this all along, she turned back to the sphere as the Doctor climbed a few steps up closer to it.

"And what is that?" It was more than she could possibly wrap her tiny mind around.

"Well, it's impossible for starters." The Doctor picked up, taking of the glasses as his face contorted with confusion. "I always thought it was just a theory, but it's a vessel designed to exist outside time and space, travelling through the Void."

"And what's the Void?" It was slowly dawning on the Time Lords that none of these people, not even the scientist, knew anything about anything they were keeping in their warehouses.

"The space between dimensions. There's all sorts of realities around us, different dimensions, billions of parallel universes all stacked up against each other. The Void is the space in between, containing absolutely nothing. Imagine that. Nothing. No light, no dark, no up, no down, no life, no time. Without end." The way the Doctor explained it sent chills down all their spines, even his own.

"Our people called it the Void." Sky spoke softly but made sure the humans could hear her clearer than anything. "The Eternals call it the Howling. But some people call it Hell."

"But someone built the sphere." Rajesh said, just the hint of skepticism in his voice. He thought they were wrong? "What for? Why go there?"

"To explore? To escape?" The Doctor pondered. "You could sit inside that thing and eternity would pass you by. The Big Bang, end of the Universe, start of the next, wouldn't even touch the sides. You'd exist outside the whole of creation."

"You see, we were right. There is something inside it." Yvonne was proud of herself, but be sure that grin would be soon gone when what was inside came outside.

"Oh, yes."

"So how do we get in there?" The scientist man asked, and he was serious.

"We don't! We send that thing back into Hell." The Doctor stormed towards them, a finger pointed back behind him at the sphere. "How did it get here in the first place?"

"Well, that's how it all started. The sphere came through into this world, and the ghosts followed in its wake." Sky met the Doctor's eyes as he stared back at her, both of them agreeing on one thing. This was much bigger than they initially thought. And silently, with just one quirk of his eyebrow he told her to stay here with the sphere.

Then he turned away as Yvonne looked between them strangely. "Show me." He commanded and walked straight past the human, back out into the corridor.

Rose popped her head out the TARDIS and immediately saw Sky's own transport sitting beside hers. She looked around her and when no one was around, Rose stepped fully out and grabbed a white lab coat which was draped over a bench near by. But when she returned and dodged back behind the TARDIS to put the coat on, Kit was leaning against the doors with the psychic paper open so she could read it.

"Really?" The blonde said, eyeing the man up and down. They had barely spoken in fact she'd go as far to say never, but he had been assigned to her? "A babysitter? I've been doing this longer than you."

"Oh please." Kit just rolled his eyes at the younger girl. "But fine, by all means go off by yourself...but you might find that you need this." He smirked and folded the psychic paper back up, putting it in his back pocket. Kit was sure Rose was going to pout or stamp her foot for a second but then she just huffed and led the way for them.

They followed another scientist along a corridor, the corridor the Doctor had just been led back down moments before. They paused around the corner, Kit keeping watch, until the scientist had entered the room and then they ran the rest of the way down the corridor until they stood in front of the same door. Kit looked at the psychic paper doubtably but then did just as Sky had explained weeks ago and thought of what he wanted it to do, before putting it against the entry reader.

The doors opened for them and Kit grinned while Rose frowned at what they both saw in the room. Sky was still transfixed with the sphere but the doors opening had distracted her and she turned just as Rose and Kit walked in.

"Ah, there you are." The woman smiled just for a second until she turned back to the sphere, both humans were now staring at too. "I was beginning to think you'd never show up, come look at this." She was talking to Kit mostly but if Rose wanted to listen too, it was up to her. Sky held nothing against her but she felt the blonde didn't enjoy her presence.

"Eh? Can I help you?" Rajesh asked, coming up to the two and blocking their path.

"I was just..." Rose trailed off, both of them looking at the sphere fully.

"Try not to look. It does that to everyone." He warned. "What do you want?"

"Sorry. They sent me from personnel. They said some man had been taken prisoner. Some sort of Doctor? I'm just checking the lines of communication. Did they tell you anything?" Rose was worried about the Doctor and fought for any information, but she could have just asked Sky.

"Can I see your authorisation?"

"Oh leave it out, they're with me." Sky shouted behind her at the man and rolled her eyes. They watched as the man shrunk back sheepishly, only eyeing them for a second longer before going back to his desk.

"Fine." They heard Rajesh mutter before he looked towards the scientist Rose and Kit had followed. "But Samuel? Seal the room. Call security. They just walked right in and we don't want anymore visitors."

As Samuel turned around, Sky gave him a double take as he gave Rose a thumbs up and a big grin.

"Doing it now, sir." Sky's eyes followed him as he walked to a control desk but then she focused back on Kit and Rose.

"Well?" She stared at the two as they just stood side by side like lemons on a shelf. "Are you interested or not?" She smirked when they both nodded and walked over quickly.

"Yvonne? I think you should see this." Sky paused in telling the two what she and the Doctor had been told and found out during there absence to turned towards Rajesh. "We've got visitors. We don't know who they are, but funnily enough, they both arrived at the same time as the Doctor and The Sky."

"The Sky?" Kit whispered in her ear.

"Meh I'm not too fond of the formality of it." She let the comment roll off as Rajesh turned his webcam towards the three of them. On the screen, even from there, they could see Yvonne stood next to the Doctor.

Sky blocked out the useless conversation Rajesh insisted on having with the posh woman and looked back to the orb with Rose and Kit.

"So there's something inside it?" Kit asked, having already been caught up on that it was a void ship.

"Yes...at least we think so. 99% positive." Sky wavered and jumped up the steps to get that extra bit closer. It really was disturbing but the longer she looked at it, the harder it was to look away. Like it was drawing her in...

"Yvonne, I thought you said the next Ghost Shift was cancelled." Sky tuned back in to everything else which was going on behind her and jumped down from the higher platform when the sphere began to rumble and shift from side to side. "What's going on? Yvonne?" The numbers on the monitors for the sphere began to climb rapidly, each test; mass, weight, density...all of them roaring suddenly. "It can't be. It's active!"

'Theta?" Sky tried to reach out but she got no reply. 'Theta?!'

'Lelia? I need you to be careful.' His reply suddenly came through deadly serious.

'Why what is it?' She felt her hearts pick up slightly at hearing his tone like that. He must have found something, he must have.

"We've got a problem down here. Yvonne, can you hear me?" Rajesh tried desperately to make contact and the sphere began to tremble. "Yvonne, for God's sake. The sphere is active! The readings are going wild! It's got weight, it's got mass, an electromagnetic field. It exists!"

The doors behind then clunked and Sky swung around. "What was that?"

"The door's sealed. Automatic quarantine. We can't get out!"

'Theta it's the sphere, it's opening.' Sky kept her thoughts calm in hope of keeping him calm.

"It's all right, babe." The guy previously named Samuel came over and stood in front of Rose. "We've beaten them before, we can beat them again. That's why I'm here. The fight goes on." Sky didn't even have time to ask who the hell he even was after he said that. Who were 'them'?

"The fight against what?" Sky spoke quietly and eyed the young black man strongly.

"What do you think?" That answer is not good enough, but the spheres shuddering became more violent by the second and Sky turned, looking up to it as she pushed Kit back behind her and Rose and this...boy back too.

'Sky they're Cybermen! That sphere, that's what's in there.'

Her eyes widened, she knew of them...had dealt with them a few times in the past with the Doctor. She had handled them before and she could handle them again but each last time had included a close call, she had to be careful...and brave. They weren't her favourite.

"We had them beaten, but then they escaped. The Cybermen just vanished. They found a way through to this world, but so did we." The young stranger rattled on, what he was saying would be helpful and was to Sky but it would help if she just knew one thing.

"Sorry...but just...before this starts...who are you?" Sky asked over her shoulder.

"I'm Mickey, who are you?" He looked the woman up and down as she stood in front of them. He stood there proudly and willing to protect and yet she still pushed them behind her.

"Sky." Simply did it.

"Sky...she's the Doctors...well his wife." No one knew why Mickey grinned but he did as Rose explained. "And this is Kit...her companion."

"Companion?" Kit nearly spat out and Sky could have hit them all. A great big rattling sphere was in front of them about to unleash a form of evil and they were chatting? "What like a dog?"

"A Friend." Sky corrected Rose.

"Oh, friendly companion. Much better." He quipped and Sky had to smile...just a little bit. The kid could be funny sometimes, he at least had his moments.

"What's inside that sphere?" She asked then however, when she regained seriousness.

"No one knows." So it might not be Cybermen? Wait... "Cyber Leader, Cyber King, Emperor of the Cybermen. Whatever it is, he's dead meat." Wait...Cybermen...she had met Cybermen. They weren't capable of this technology...it was way too advanced.

"Can anyone hear me?" Rajesh continued to yell through the webcam. "Come on, I need help down here! I need-" There was a loud creak and Sky took another step back, forcing the others back with her but making sure she always stood in front.

"Here we go." Mickey sounded excited as he removed his white lab coat and ripped out the ear piece he had in.

It started to open, the sphere actually started to open. It appeared to crack and folds appeared for it to slide open. Well...Kit wanted adventure and danger?

"I know what's in there, and I'm ready for them. I've got just the thing." Mickey spoke and walked over to the platform,crept reviving a massive gun from underneath it. "This is going to blast them to Hell." Sky just rolled her eyes as she watched the sphere, that was always the number one plan for humans. To kill.

"Samuel, what are you doing?" Rajesh spoke as he ran over to them to watch the sphere himself.

"The name's Mickey. Mickey Smith. Defending the Earth." He locked and loaded the gun and aimed it at the sphere as it began to open like a shutter. A blaze of light shone down on them all and just as shadows appeared, Sky's mind hummed.

'Lelia...' Theta didn't finish...he didn't have time to. It was already to late.

Her hearts sunk into her stomach, she could have been sick right there as the four shapes became clearer. Her eyes almost teared up and her hands started to shake. Her whole body beginning to shake.

"Oh, my God." Sky didn't even realise she had spoke, only hearing her whisper as she watched the four Dalek's glide out from the globe above her.

'Theta...Theta it's them. It's them.' She didn't hear a reply, just the shrill screech of the pure evil she was face to face with too soon, even after all these years.

"Location, Earth. Life forms detected. Exterminate!"

"Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!"

To Be Continued...


	17. Doomsday Part 1

"Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!" They repeated over and over, burning the words back into Sky's mind before she had even been able to forget them from the last time she'd been here, in this exact same position on Gallifrey. She still had nightmares of those words, the burning, the murder.

"Daleks!" She screamed out and everyone jumped. But she couldn't allow it anymore, they had to stop. And this time she would stop them and she would save every single last person stood behind her at that moment. "You're called Daleks. I know your name. Think about it how can I know that?" Her hearts thumped the four best rather hard in her chest as each Dalek turned slowly to study her."A woman who knows about the Daleks...and the Time War." Sky tried to keep her voice calm desperately, she had to appear strong for herself, the Dalek's and the humans behind her. "If you want to know how, then keep us alive. That's all I'm asking. Me and everyone else." The blue light of its eye stared at her, seeming to peer into her soul.

"Yeah, Daleks. Time War. Me too." Mickey added on quickly after her, but God Sky wished he would hush it.

"Yeah. And me." Rajesh spoke. Him as well. All of them. Shut it.

"You will be necessary." The Black Dalek spoke straight before swinging round to another. They all saw Sky release a breath in relief. It had worked...but why was she necessary? "Report. What is the status of the Genesis Ark?" Then she noticed the strange dome shape they had behind them. It looked a little like a Dalek, the shell of it anyway.

"Status, hibernation." Sky listened intently, pushing passed her fear.

"Commence awakening. The Genesis Ark must be protected above all else."

"The Daleks. You said they were all dead." She heard Mickey mutter to Rose...so the girl had met them before.

"Never mind that." Rose whispered and stepped forward so she stood by Sky's side. "What the hell's a Genesis Ark?" Sky only shook her head before looking at the girl and Rose was shocked. She could see the fear in the Time Lords eyes, she could see the terror and the panic. To see her looking so venerable...it scared Rose.

"Which of you is least important?" The same Dalek to address Sky earlier talked to them, breaking Sky from her silence as she stepped forward.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked, hiding every emotion she felt.

"Which of you is least important?" She forgot how stubborn they were.

"No, we don't work like that." Sky shook her head, looking straight into the eye."None of us."

"Designate the least important!" Oh...so it was getting angry already. The lack of patience amused her for it was because they weren't powerful, just pure evil. Like a spoilt child, if they didn't get there way they threw a tantrum.

"This is my responsibility." Rajesh spoke out before Sky could even say anything.

"No." She snapped at him fiercely, already feeling her promise to herself slipping from grasp. "Don't you dare."But he ignored her.

"I er, I represent the Torchwood Institute. Anything you need, you come through me. Leave these four alone." As he spoke, Sky took the opportunity to glance at Kit. He wasn't giving anything away about how he was feeling. And she could only feel guilt, she had brought him here and she couldn't even promise that she would get him out. The boy must have felt her gaze because he turned to her and smiled very lightly before she looked away again.

"You will kneel." The black Dalek rattled.

"What for?" The man asked it...his eyes shifting nervously.

"Kneel." Rajesh kneeled then, with his back to who Sky now assumed was the head Dalek. Sky could only watch in as he did so, he had stepped forward...she had tried to stop him. "The Daleks need information about current Earth history."

"Yeah, well, I can give you a certain amount of intelligence but nothing that will compromise Homeland security."

"Speech is not necessary." Sky already knew what was coming and turned to Rose, Mickey and Kit, mouthing for them to turn and look away but none of them did. They were too curious and just a little to focused on proving their bravery. "We will extract brainwaves." The three other Dalek's surrounded Rajesh and sunk their plungers onto his head, surrounding him. Suffocating him. The plungers enveloped his head and he begged.

"Don't I I'll tell you everything you need. No. No!" But it was too late, no one could stop what was about to happen and the man let out a scream. It was only seconds later, a dry and aged decomposed corpse dropped to the floor.

"His mind spoke of a second species invading Earth infected by the superstition of ghosts." The leader spoke...so they weren't together. If the Doctor was correct and the Cybermen were too here, then they weren't together.

"You didn't need to kill him." Sky's voice was calm but angry, it even hit the three humans who watched her talk to the Dalek's with what seemed like confidence. She would stare them down, talk at them and not beg to them. But only Rose knew why...it was because she had done this before.

"Neither did we need him alive." Such a blunt answer unsettled them all, there was no emotion. Just a shell of death.

"Dalek Thay, investigate outside." Thay? So they had names? But...oh...oh how wonderful.

"I obey." Dalek Thay spoke before moving to leave the room they stood in. Sky watched until it was out of sight before she allowed herself to watch the others work.

"Establish visual contact. Lower communications barrier." A large screen appeared in front of them where the sphere had been placed and it showed out the eye of the Dalek. They watched as it searched the corridors, but then it stumbled upon something. A Cyberman. So the Doctor got Cybermen and she got stuck with Dalek's...that hardly seemed fair.

"Identify yourselves." They watched on the view screen as the Dalek made first contact.

"You will identify first." The Cyberman replied. A part of Sky couldn't believe she was watching this...it was like a nightmare had been ripped out of her head.

'Lelia!' Theta's voice screamed through her head, but the relief washed over her the second she heard it.

'Theta.' She could only breath out to him. It was too much, seeing the three Dalek's around her, surrounding her with the Doctor's voice in her head. It was all too much. It was too similar. She wouldn't last much longer. 'It's them...it's the Dalek's.'

'I know and I'm coming.' She could hear his fear but all she wanted was him here, beside her. He'd be much better at this than she was. 'I promise I'm coming, I'm not leaving you this time.'

"State your identity." The confrontation continued.

"You will identify first." Sky took the opportunity to close her eyes and gather herself as all eyes were turned away.

"Identify!" This could go on all week, but the Dalek's were getting angry again and no Cyberman would hold them back.

"It's like Stephen Hawkins meets the Speaking Clock."

"That answer is illogical. You will modify."

"Daleks do not take orders."

"You have identified as Daleks."

"Outline resembles the inferior species known as Cybermen."

"We followed in the wake of your sphere." They continued to conversation as normal as a Dalek and a Cyberman could and Sky continued to listen until the Black Dalek spoke loudly next to her.

"Long range scans confirm the presence of crude cybernetic constructs on worldwide scale."As he spoke Rose felt the phone in her pocket begin to vibrate and very slowly, she pulled it out to answer it without gaining any attention.

"We must protect the Genesis Ark." The three remaining Dalek's in the room all rushed around to create a circle around the Ark, all facing the contraption.

"Daleks have no concept of elegance." The interaction continued above them on the monitor.

"This is obvious. But consider, our technologies are plus Daleks." The Cybermen were proposing an allegiance...that was the last thing they needed to happen. Then again, so was a war on Earth between the two. "Together, we could upgrade the Universe."

"You propose an alliance?" The Dalek responded and honestly ...no one knew what the answer would be to that.

"This is correct."

"Request denied." That wasn't good but neither was it bad. It made no difference, either way humans were going to die, innocent people.

"Hostile elements will be deleted." The Cyberman then shot at the Dalek but the shot had no effect and they retaliated.

"Exterminate!" Before their eyes, the Dalek killed the Cyberman right there on the spot and in that moment, war was declared. It was only a minute later that the Cybermen confirmed this, the leader appearing on the visual link in front of Sky.

"Daleks, be warned. You have declared war upon the Cybermen."

"This is not war. This is pest control." The lead Dalek replied and it earned a look of surprise from Sky. They had become sassy in the past however many years.

"We have five million Cybermen. How many are you?"

"Four." It was laughable really but Sky was too busy trying not to let her jaw drop. They had just said five million...five million Cybermen. The ghosts...all those ghosts she had got so near to and watch all that time. They were all Cybermen.

"You would destroy the Cybermen with four Daleks?" The Cyberleader replied, even able to sound sceptical through the layers of metal.

"We would destroy the Cybermen with one Dalek." And Sky didn't doubt it one bit, she knew they could. "You are superior in only one respect."

"What is that?"

"You are better at dying." Seriously that sass. "Raise communications barrier!" Just before the view screen went black, the Doctor appeared, walking behind the Cyberleader casually.

"Wait!" Oh and didn't they notice. Sky couldn't help but smirk. "Rewind image by nine rells. Identify grid seven gamma frame. This male registers as enemy."

"The female's heartbeat has increased." The black Dalek spun straight to Rose and Sky flinched. Now wasn't the time to think about it but it hurt, knowing it was true.

"Yeah, tell me about it." His comment was just the salt in the wound.

"Identify him." The Dalek commanded.

"All right, then. If you really want to know, that's the Doctor." The adrenaline pumped through a Sky when she watched all of the Dalek's drawn back a bit. Oh it felt good, to know he I'd that to them now after all those years of fighting, the Tome a Lord had left his mark on them all.

"Five million Cybermen, easy. One Doctor? Now you're scared." But Sky's enthusiasm dropped when Rose's gaze turned to her. Sky swallowed hard knowing what was coming and it was too late to stop her. "And I got another surprise for you...that's his wife."

The moment she felt all three blue lights on her, she nearly gave out right then and there. Oh she had to tell them didn't she. The girl just had to open her mouth, what was she hoping to get her killed?

"Identify yourself!" The leader seemed to scream at her as she stood tall and still. She didn't need to speak as the third Dalek scanned her.

"The female identifies as Time Lord." Then the three Dalek's faced her and came closer. They were always so stupid, not even realising the double heart beat that had been stood next to them all this time.

"But all Time Lords were killed in the War! Only the Doctor survived." The second Dalek added.

"Yeah? Well here I am..." Sky finally spoke to them, looking down at them with no expression. "Stood looking at you."

"How did you survive the Time War?" The Dalek asked in a low rumble.

"Oh wouldn't you like to know." She smirked...curiousness always was their weakness.

"You shall name yourself." The leader commanded of her. A pause followed as she debated whether or not she should say but either way it wouldn't matter.

"The Sky." It didn't have the same reaction the Doctor's had, but she knew the recognition was there. "I killed a quarter of your race most likely...and I was there when they all burned. I stood and watched every last one of them die in that war. When Arcadia fell." They all just stared...the Dalek's for once becoming quiet as the seemed to study her. And Sky felt the three pairs of eyes on her back, all of which stared at her in shock for speaking how she had to something which could so easily kill her.

"You relate to the enemy the Doctor. You killed Dalek's in the time War. You must be exterminated!" The leader screeched again and she prepared herself for it right then, but for the first time in her life, she watched it calm in front of her and move closer so it's eye met hers. "But you are needed."

"Cyber threat irrelevant. Concentrate on the Genesis Ark." Dalek Thay returned to the room from being victorious. Her breathing was harder than it had ever been, she had really thought that was going to be it, that she was dead. But it had stopped, it had held back from killing her. Why?

"Why did it do that?" Rose gasped from Sky's left. "Why are we being kept alive?" She almost sounded sad. Sky hadn't had a problem with the girl, but she very much doubted that she would ever forgive Rose for the information she'd just released to the Dalek's. Not only did it almost get her killed, but now they could use it against them.

"They need me. Like they just said. But not just me..." It had to be something they all could do.

"What? What is it?" Mickey asked but he didn't receive an answer and when he lost patience, he turned to arose and took her hand. "I could transport out of here, but it only carries one and I'm not leaving you."

"You'd follow me anywhere. What did I do to you all those years ago?" Sky had heard enough from the two of them then to know their background. It wasn't exactly rocket science. So while they talked, she joined Kit, standing by his side.

"I'm sorry, for getting you into this." She whispered to him, not really knowing what to say. A man had been killed in front of him as tin men invaded his planet and overgrown pepper pots held him captive. What was there to say?

"Hey, not your fault." Kit only shrugged and looked at her. She noticed and met his eyes. "Are you okay?" In the last month he had never seen her want to appear so little. That's what drew him in, her confidence but since those...things had showed up, it was like something in her had just crumpled.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." She managed a smile and patted his arm. "I'll get you home, I will. I promise."

"I know." It was just that little bit of confidence he had in her that kept her going for now. That kept her will up for being able to get answered from the Dalek's and to give her the d

Strength to just keep looking at them.

"Well, I can't think what the Daleks need with me. I'm nothing to them." Mickey's voice sounded again as she watched the couple in front of them.

"You could be." Sky caught both their attentions."Whatever's inside that Ark is waking up and whatever's in there...needs something that each of us have."

"I've seen this happen before." Rose remembered as she looked at the Genesis Ark they were now all protecting together, surrounding it. "The first time I saw a Dalek, it was broken. It was dying. But I touched it. The moment I did that, I brought it back to life." The girl looked at Sky as if she was expecting an answer and she got one. Of course, it all made sense.

"The TARDIS energy." Sky whispered to them all. "When you travel in time in the Tardis, you soak up all this background radiation. It's harmless." She nodded to herself as she thought. They all had it, herself, Kit, Rose and Mickey she guessed if he travelled with the Doctor."It's just there. But in the Time War, the Daleks evolved so they could use it as a power supply."

"So if the Daleks have got something inside that thing, and it needs waking up?" Kit asked, looking at Sky as he began to understand.

"They need us." She nodded. "Only one of us but any would do, and why slim their chances and kill off three other perfect sources of energy?"

"But why would they build something they can't open themselves?" Mickey asked but he had been heard. The black Dalek turned rapidly to them to answer his question.

"The technology is stolen. The Ark is not of Dalek design." Sky frowned as she took a second to eye the copper capsule.

"Then who built it?" She shook her head in confusion. It certainly looked Dalek.

"The Time Lords." It felt like she had been glued still as the leader spoke."This is all that survives of your Home World Sky." Oh how dare they...how dare they talk to her like that. How dare they even use her name. That thing was the only thing that survived. She did too and so did her Doctor and that was enough.

"What's inside?" Her voice grew louder with the anger she felt and she was demanding them now. She didn't dare if they got angry and lost their temper anymore.

"The future."

"What does that mean?" Sky demanded but the Dalek's were too focused as they turned to the ark, beginning to connect to it. "What does that mean?!" And then her head swarmed her.

'I'm coming Lelia.'

"Final stage of awakening." The leader pointed its eye at Sky, looking her up and down before it continued. "Your handprint will open the Ark."

"What makes you think, that after all the pain you've caused my people...that I would do this for you so easily?" The Dalek looked at her for a long time but then moved to Kit and then back to her.

"Obey or the male will die." ...touché.

"Oh well aren't you clever eh?" Sky hissed at them all from between her teeth and took a step forward.

"Sky, don't." She heard Kit call out but she wouldn't listen. Another person wouldn't die under her watch.

"Place your hand upon the casket." The leader ordered again when she faltered after Kit spoke.

"All right! But why?...you're just going to kill me anyway." She had had enough...really had enough. "If you er, escaped the Time War, don't you want to know what happened? To the rest of them?"

"Place your hand-"

"What happened to the Emperor?" Rose butted in, taking all of the attention upon herself, even Sky stared at her now.

"The Emperor survived?" Sky was about to ask the exact same thing.

"Till he met me. Because if these are going to be my last words, then you're going to listen. I met the Emperor, and I took the Time Vortex and I pulled it into his head and turned him into dust. Do you get that? The God of all Daleks, and I destroyed him. Ha!" Not the best thing to admit giving how many Dalek's now had their aim on her but...it had distracted them, and if that was true...it was impressive.

"You will be exterminated!" Sky went to shout at them but before she could someone else did. Their voice sending a cold flush flooding over her cheeks and through her whole body, like she finally wasn't so alone and helpless in that stupid little room anymore.

"Oh now, hold on, wait a minute."


	18. Doomsday Part 2

His voice boomed around the room, he wasn't shy around them like she so very nearly was. The Doctor walked forward wearing those bloody glasses again and looked at each of the Dalek's as he swaggered around, hands in his pockets.

"Alert, alert. You are the Doctor." The black Dalek turned away from Rose thankfully.

"Sensors report he is unarmed."

"That's me. Always." The Doctor was smiling, grinning wide as he circled the copper casing they hid in.

"Then you are powerless." The lead Dalek said and watched their enemy stand beside the other Time Lord, both of them stood together watching them. It was just like Rose had said, five million Cybermen were nothing but now two Time Lord's threatened to stop them.

"Not me. Never." He stared at them before looking at Sky, eyes running over her for any form of harm. Rose noticed this and frowned, he didn't even look her way. "How are you?" Sky nodded for a few seconds, taking a deep breath.

"Oh, you know. I'm fine...perfect."

"Good." He nodded but something didn't feel right. Focusing on him, Sky found herself smiling at what she found. He was relieved she was okay but he was angry too."And Mickity McMickey. Nice to see you!" The Doctor spun around to Rose, Kit and Mickey.

"And you, boss." They shook hands and everyone seemed to calm a bit, that was until the Dalek's patience wore thin once again.

"Social interaction will cease!" They all stopped to watch the lead Dalek, moving its eyes between all five of them. "How did you survive the Time War?" It focused on the a Doctor and then moved to Sky.

"By fighting. On the front line. I was there at the fall of Arcadia. Someday I might even come to terms with that." The Doctor was the one to answer, once again joining Sky to stand by her side. "But you lot ran away!"

"We had to survive."

"The last four Daleks in existence. So what's so special about you?" The Doctor asked but they didn't answer, so Sky stepped up. She had known ever since she had learned one had a name and she recognised the name.

"They've got names." She said, looking at each of the Dalek's individually for a few seconds. "I mean, normal Daleks don't have names...Name yourselves." The Doctor suppressed his surprise with the way she spoke to them, she didn't express the fear he felt her holding in. He hadn't seen Sky during the war but he would take a good guess that this was a lot like her soldier self.

"I am Dalek Thay." Even Sky couldn't believe it when they did as she demanded. Her hearts fluttering slightly.

"Dalek Sek." The black leader Dalek announced.

"Dalek Jast."

"Dalek Caan."

"The Cult of Skaro." Sky spoke softly, leaving the Doctors side to stand on the opposite side of the circle of Dalek's to him.

"I thought you were just a legend." The Doctor frowned but felt another person join his side. Rose was watching the Dalek's with courage now.

"Who are they?" She asked, very close to his side. The Doctor knew Sky could see but he wished she couldn't. Things had been different before Sky had come back, practically from the dead, things with Rose may have been able to happen. But now...now that wasn't an option, not for him. Whenever Sky was their he wouldn't even need for there to be an option, because it was always her.

"A secret order above and beyond the Emperor himself. Their job was to imagine, think as the enemy thinks. Even dared to have names. All to find new ways of killing." The Doctor spoke with anger.

"But that thing, they said it was yours." Mickey told the Doctor as he watched Sky step through into the middle of the Dalek's, closer to the capsule they were protecting.

"It's Time Lord technology, they said..." Sky said, carefully looking around at each and every detail etched into the Ark, but nothing was familiar about it. Nothing at all. "Our people built it apparently. Any ideas?" She eyes the Doctor curiously.

"I don't know. Never seen it before." He shrugged as a reply and she felt like sighing. If he didn't even know, little hope did they have.

"But it's Time Lord."

"Both sides had secrets." Sky took the words out the Doctor's mouth and addressed Dalek Sek. "What is it? What have you done?" She was a complete different person to who she was...ever. Not even the Doctor had seen this confrontational emotionally stunted side of her and he thought he could have gone a lot longer than today to see it, because it hurt. If this is what the war had done to her...if this was a result of what he'd forced her to witness alone...

"Time Lord science will restore Dalek supremacy." Dalek Sek's answer was vague.

"What does that mean?" The Doctor exclaimed and starting walking around them individually as well. Always looking back to the capsule, again with those damn glasses on. "What sort of Time Lord science? What do you mean?"

"They said one touch from a time traveler will wake it up." Kit remembered. As Sky stepped back, Dalek's Caan and Jast's eyes moved with her, following her every step.

"Technology using the one thing a Dalek can't do. Touch." Even as the Doctor talked, they watched her. "Sealed inside your casing. Not feeling anything ever, from birth to death, locked inside a cold metal cage. Completely alone." Then they looked to the Doctor but straight back to Sky. She wasn't the only one who noticed this as the Doctor watched them seriously. "That explains your voice. No wonder you scream."

"The Sky will open the Ark!" Dalek Sek too turned to watch her through that blue little ball which acted as an eye.

"The Sky will not." Both Time Lord's spoke together.

"You have no way of resisting." Dalek Sek looked to Sky first. "You will open the Ark." Then straight back to the Doctor who stood in place, completely still his eyes only focusing on Sky and her alone. "Command your wife Doctor! Or she will die." She knew they would too and fear enveloped her. But she couldn't get over the command bit...they really though he could command her? She almost had to hold in a laugh.

"Command?" He questioned, seemingly picking up on the same thing as her. "Well, you got me there. Although there is always this." He made sure Sky was calm as he pulled out the a Sonic screwdriver. She trusted him.

"A sonic probe?"

"That's screwdriver." The Doctor replied sarcastically, shaking the device between his fingers.

"It is harmless." Dalek Sec spoke.

"Oh, yes. Harmless is just the word. That's why I like it. Doesn't kill, doesn't wound, doesn't maim. But I'll tell you what it does do..."He spoke to the lead Dalek, right into the portal so he was really looking at the creature inside. "It is very good at opening doors." With just the lightest buzz, the doors to the laboratory were blown in and in ran a young man, a slightly older man and a Cyberman. All guns began blazing, every person having to dodge the guns.

"Delete! Delete! Delete! Delete!" Oh she really hadn't missed that sound. Sky went to get back to the doctor but a strike from a Cyberman hit the Dalek to her left, frightfully close to Sky herself, and sent her to the ground.

"Alert. Casing impaired. Casing impaired." The Dalek rang out right next to her ear as Sky's vision blurred slightly from a mixture of the emotional battlefield going on in her head and how her head had impacted with the marble floor.

"Sky, get out!" The Doctor screamed to her, watching her in fear before catching Kit's eye. "Get her out of here." The boy didn't need to be told twice as he went to her side and helped her as she tried to stand even if she tried to push him away.

"Fire power insufficient! Fire power insufficient!"

"Daleks will be deleted. Delete. Delete."They made it out, just in front of the Doctor who gathered her face in his hands as soon as he reached her. The carnage was still going on inside but none of that mattered for just a second as he smoothed a hand over her hair.

"You alright?" Sky only nodded, hiding a wince as the Doctor touched where she had fell. But he still noticed and made a note to check it over later.

"Mickey, come on!" Rose shouted back into the room where he was still trying to shoot his way out.

"Adapt to weaponry." Dalek Jast screamed.

"Fire power restored!" They had to get out of there now. Dalek Sek killed a Cyberman but Mickey got jolted from the blast. The boy put a hand out to steady himself but the only thing to catch himself one was the ark, a bright orange hand print burnt itself into the capsule from his touch. Mickey ran towards them, getting out and joining the others in the corridor as the Doctor shut the emergency blast doors.

"Jake, check the stairwell. The rest of you, come on." The Doctor led them, taking Sky's hand and pulling her to the front with them. They began to run, through the industrial concrete corridors, all the time looking out for either Cybermen or Dalek's.

"I just fell, I didn't mean it!" Mickey shouted as he ran with them, looking at his hand which had been slightly burned from the contact.

"Mickey, without us, they'd have opened it by force. To do that, they'd have blown up the sun. You've done us a favor. Now, run!" In no time they bumped into two Cybermen but they weren't alone. Without even hesitating, the older man with them shot down the two Cyberman from behind, making them fall.

"Pete?" It was Jackie? Well that was lucky.

"Hello, Jacks." Sky looked to the man and then to Jackie. Did everyone here but Kit and herself know each other!

"I said there were ghosts, but that's not fair. Why him?"

"I'm not a ghost."

"But you're dead. You died twenty years ago, Pete."

"It's Pete from a different universe." Both Sky and Kit snapped towards the older man before she then looked to the Doctor. People had come through the void to...the void was to a parallel world. "There are parallel worlds, Jackie. Every single decision we make creates a parallel existence, a different dimension where-"

"Oh, you can shut up." The Doctor felt a hand rest on his arm, it was Sky...as she laughed. "Oh, you look old."

"You don't."

"How can you be standing there?"

"I just got lucky. Lived my life. You were left on your own. You didn't marry again, or-"

"There was never anyone else. Twenty years, though. Look at me. I never left that flat. Did nothing with myself." It was nice to watch...they could relate. Sky and the Doctor. Only for them it had been longer than a mere 20 years.

"You brought her up. Rose Tyler. That's not bad."

"Yeah." Jackie managed a smile but still looked at though she was considering whether he truly was there.

"In my world, it worked. All those daft little plans of mine, they worked. Made me rich." Well, that explained the smart suit in the middle of a war.

"I don't care about that." Jackie shook her head, eyes soft."How rich?" Sky felt the Doctor laugh beside her as she smirked at the older woman.

"Very." Pete chuckled.

"I don't care about that." She shook her head frowning... "How very?"

"Thing is though, Jacks, you're not my wife. I'm sorry, but you're not. I mean, we both. You know, it's just sort of..." Pete couldn't find the right way to put it as the woman he loved stood right there in front of him, just out of arms reach. "Oh, come here." Pete threw down the gun and held his arms open, beginning to run towards Jackie as she ran to him.

It was nice, seeing them so happy even if it was something that should never been allowed to happen. They were from parallel worlds but...well Sky had seen weirder relationships work. But they didn't have time to stand around hugging, the Doctor obviously had a plan and it was one Sky wished he would inform her on. Running around with Dalek's without a plan didn't really comfort her.

After they set off again, about a ten minutes walk down more corridors, they came to the warehouse they had been shown around what seemed like days ago. The Doctor popped his head through the door carefully as battle continued between the Dalek's and the Cybermen. The Cybermen were falling all around but all Dalek's still stood unharmed. When he worked out a route, he crawled over to a crate and...will a little stealth, grabbed a pair of mangaclamps out of it before running back over to the door where the rest were gathered, narrowly dodging shots fired as he ran.

"Come on, please." Sky looked down at Rose while the Doctor was running back and the young girl repeated her whispers over and over. She wouldn't let it get to her...it was nothing...she couldn't blame Rose or Theta if he returned it...but it made everything that much harder.

The Doctor returned and dropped the mangaclamps down before returning to pop his head through a crack in the door, putting on those 3D glasses again.

"So what's the glasses do?" Kit asked by her side, changing from looking around them cautiously to staring at the Doctor.

"I don't know honestly...well I do...but...no...honestly?" Sky cringed and looked to Kit. "I don't know."

"Override roof mechanism." Dalek Sek's voice rang out in the warehouse and right through Sky. Something about how they spoke, the rattling tones hit her hard. Above, the roof above the Dalek's and Cybermen started to rumble before beginning to slide back. "Elevate."

"What're they doing?" Rose asked, feeling Sky poke her head through the door just above her.

"They need to get outside." The female Time Lord stated, watching as the Dalek's started to slowly accent upwards taking the Ark with them. "Why would they need to get outside?"

"Time Lord science. What Time Lord science?" Instead of answering her question, the Doctor just asked his own, face twisting as he ripped the glasses from his face and stared upwards in confusion. "What is it?" They began to glide up faster, until they were out of the warehouse and hovering in the skies above Canary Wharf and London.

"We've got to see what it's doing. We've got to go back up." The Doctor scrambled around on the floor, picking himself up before grabbing the clamps and beginning to run. "Come on! All of you. Top floor!" They all started the follow, Rose holding and keeping her mum running with them and Sky and Kit stayed at the back.

"That's forty five floors up! Believe me, I've done them all." Jackie cried as they ran towards the stairs. But then they heard a rattle behind them, and as Kit turned to check it, Jake appeared through the wall with a smile.

"We could always take the lift." He smirked.

"Oh you life saver!" Sky sneered, being the first one in and urgently pressing the button to the top floor as soon as the Doctor was in the lift fully with everyone else.

It took a painfully long time for them to reach their desired floor, and even when they did reach it, it took another year for the door to actually slide open enough for them to get out. But once they were, the Doctor was out first closely followed by Rose and Jackie, with Sky and Kit and Jake close on their heels. They all reached the window, just in time to see the Ark start to spin, shooting out Dalek's in every direction, every second. Sky felt her stomach churn as she watched hundreds of Dalek's awaken and come into this world just like they had come to her own planet.

"Time Lord science." Sky only realised she was speaking when she heard herself scoff and she pushed to the front so she was right at the window by the Doctor's side."It's bigger on the inside."

"Did the Time Lords put those Daleks in there?" Micky spoke up, watching both Time Lords as well as the Dalek Ark."What for?"

"It's a prison ship." The Doctor finally spoke. As they stood there, Sky slowly felt his hand run down her arm calmly until he took her hand in his. Squeezing it tightly, they didn't need to look at each other, just know that the other was there this time unlike all the other times they had seen this alone.

"How many Daleks?" Rose whispered from behind them.

"Millions." Sky swallowed hard as he spoke the worlds and grilled his hand tighter as images of the war started flashing behind her eyes. She pushed them away but she could still feel their effect hammering at her head.

The Dalek's were spreading out over London in the skies while the Cybermen covered the ground, storming through the streets like an army. Then the shooting began and as far as the eye could see the city of London...and the rest of the World began to burn as their war commenced. But then the Dalek's turned, people started to be killed in the streets below. Innocent people. Daughters, sons, mothers, children.


	19. Doomsday Part 3

**Sorry for there being such a long wait between chapters :D I've been working on a new Sherlock story if any of you want to check that out. And I've also just got back from holiday so I've been pretty caught up hehehe. But hopefully this will make up for it. Thank for reading,cplease send me a review to let me know what you think :D **

Sky couldn't stand the look of it and turned away from the window, walking further into the office. Kit put a hand out to stop her, make sure she was okay, but she pushed past him with her head in her hands.

"I'm sorry, but you've had it." Pete spoke in a hushed tone as the Doctors eyes followed Sky's steps with worry. It was too early for her to go through this. She should be safe somewhere, happy and safe with none of the memories. "This world's going to crash and burn. The. re's nothing we can do. We're going home." He took a large yellow button on a long chain from a soldier android to hand it to Jackie. "Jacks, take this. You're coming with us."

"But they're destroying the city!" Jackie pointed back out towards the window and that when Sky turned and stomped passed her.

"I'd forgotten you could argue. It's not just London, it's the whole world. But there's another world just waiting for you, Jacks." Sky yanked the glasses out of the Doctor's pocket as put them on herself, smirking when she saw what he was seeing, the void activity there around all of them. The Doctor smiled at her and saw the light behind her eyes when she looked at him, this time with her head held high. "And it's safe as long as the Doctor closes the breach. Doctor?"

Both Tome Lord's turned together to look at Pete, Sky with the glasses still on her face, but both were grinning wide.

"Oh, I'm ready. I've got the equipment right here." He left Sky to run over to a computer terminal. "Thank you, Torchwood. Slam it down and close off both universes."

"Reboot systems." The computer spoke up.

"But we can't just leave. What about the Daleks? And the Cybermen?" Rose watched the Doctor, following him from one computer to the next until Sky stood in her way as she had moved to stare at the void.

"They're part of the problem, and that makes them part of the solution." Sky answered her without once looking away from the blank white wall ahead of them all.

"Oh yes!" The Doctor cheered in agreement as he ran around."Well? Isn't anyone going to ask what is it with the glasses?" He smiled at the rest of the group who were watching them and took the glasses off Sky.

"What is it with the glasses?" The young girl grinned, excited by the Time Lord's enthusiasm.

"I can see, that's what. Because we've got two separate worlds, but in between the two separate worlds, we've got the Void." He bounced around so enthusiastically, Sky could hardly keep up. "That's where the Daleks were hiding. And the Cybermen travelled through the Void to get here. And you lot, one world to another, via the Void. Oh, I like that. Via the Void. Look." The Doctor gave the glasses to Rose who quickly put them on and looked at the Doctor. "I've been through it. Do you see?"

"Reboot in three minutes." They were running out of time and while Rose and the Doctor were all smiled and messed on with the glasses, Sky looked around the plain white room in worry.

"What is it?" As she outstretched her hand to try and touch the small dots which surrounded the Doctor, Rose's excitement grew.

"Void stuff." The Doctor answered simply.

"Like er, background radiation."

"That's it. Look at the others." Taking Rose by the shoulders, the Doctor turned her so she spun to look at the others who were all stood together. "And the only people who haven't been through the Void, your mother, Kit and Sky see? First time she's looked normal all in her life."

"Oi!" Sky and Jackie both snapped their heads to frown at him in unison but he just winked at them.

"But the Daleks lived inside the Void. They're bristling with it." Slowly Sky started to understand the entirety of the Doctors plans. "Cybermen, all of them. I just open the Void and reverse. The Void stuff gets sucked back inside."

"Pulling them all in!" Rose cheered almost bouncing around on the spot with excitement.

"Pulling them all in!" The Doctor yelled back but most of the others were just watching them.

"Sorry, what's the Void?" Kit asked, shaking his head.

"The dead space." Sky spoke up making everyone turn to her instead as she walked over to check the stats if the computer. "Some people call it Hell."

"So you're sending the Daleks and Cybermen to Hell." The Doctor only smiled and nodded, back where they belonged. "Man, I told you he was good."

"But it's like you said. We've all got Void stuff." Rose spoke up, this time a small smile creeping onto her face. "Me too, because we went to that parallel world. We're all contaminated. We'll get pulled in." Sky watched the Doctor's face drop and couldn't quite believe what she heard running through his mind. She felt the sadness, but he couldn't honestly be going to…

"That's why you've got to go." His face was blank, as was Rose's after it fell. Sky couldn't watch it, she knew how she felt for him and even if the Doctor was bonded t her, it still wasn't nice to see Rose get hurt…or him.

"Reboot in two minutes." The computer sounded.

"Back to Pete's world. Hey, we should call it that. Pete's World." The Doctor tried to hide how he was feeling but he wasn't fooling the majority of people around him. "I'm opening the Void, but only on this side. You'll be safe on that side."

"And then you close it, for good?" Pete's words only confirmed what Rose was thinking.

"The breach itself is soaked in Void stuff. In the end it'll close itself. And that's it. Kaput." The Doctor was looking straight at Rose, watching for any sort of reaction and he got one, a harsh one as her eyes grew angry.

"But you stay on this side?" She asked, looking at the Doctor before turning to look at Sky who stared straight back at her. "Both of you? With her?" Sky looked away and turned her back on hem, walking over to Kit.

"But you'll get pulled in." Mickey spoke to the Doctor.

"Sky won't, like I said she hasn't been through the void and…That's why I got these." The Doctor picked up the Magnaclamps. "I'll just have to hold on tight. I've been doing it all my life."

"I'm supposed to go?" Rose hadn't been listening to anything else, fully focused on that one little point which made her world crumble around her. She had wished for the journey to last forever but in only a day that dream had been stamped out.

"Yeah." His answer was plain, and to avoid her, the Doctor walked back over to the computer.

"To another world, and then it gets sealed off." Jackie and Mickey were watching Rose sadly although it seemed for different reasons. Jackie looked sad o see her daughter so torn apart whereas Mickey just looked disappointed that she had never felt like that over leaving him behind, whenever that had been. Sky hadn't been there to see it, but it was clear.

"Yeah."

"Forever. That's not going to happen." Rose began to shake her and fight back with the Doctor, but then the building shook, making each one of them watch the space wearily.

"We haven't got time to argue. The plan works. We're going." Pete spoke literally what Sky was thinking as he looked at Rose. "You too. All of us."

"No, I'm not leaving here."The young girl refused, barely turning away from the Doctor while Pete pulled Jackie along with him.

"I'm not going without her." Jackie ripped out of Pete's grip.

"Oh, my God. We're going!"

As a full on family brawl started between the Tyler's, Sky turned to face Kit closely and pressed the key to the Tardis into his hand. She then took her sonic from her pocket and open his coat to securely place in into the inside pocket of his black jacket. He looked at her strangely, watching every movement she made closely until she stepped back, patting the pocket.

"Setting 15b, hold it for 15 seconds and it will open any door you have trouble with." Sky explained, looking him dead in the eye to make sure Kit was listening. "Try not to get caught, or seen, or killed."

"What are you talking about?" He asked, frowning at her. "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere, I'm staying here. I have to help the Doctor open the void." There were two levers which meant two people someone had to stay behind with him. "But it's too dangerous, hell opening Daleks and Cybermen flying about everywhere…" Sky looked at him and put a hand on his shoulder. "It would be much more reassuring knowing you were safe in the TARDIS." At this, Kit began to smirk but she didn't really know why. "What?"

"Are you…caring about me?" For the past month, every time they had been near trouble she had kept him safe, then always immediately stated it was to avoid the mess he might get into but he knew it was a lie. Deep down, deep deep deep down, she had to admit she was his friend. But she didn't want to admit it because if she cared, it wouldn't just bring all badness back if he somehow did get hurt or went away. After losing so much, it was hard to want to gain anything that could just be ripped away again.

"Shut up." She found herself smirking in reply however. She may have distanced herself, told herself he was only a companion and nothing really important. But they had grown close and he was a friend. A good one. "You still have the psychic paper?" Sky asked, ignoring his laugh, and Kit nodded. "Good."

"Are those things still out there?"

"Yeah, but you know where the TARDIS is." It was one half a question, one half a statement but he nodded none the less. "Take the lift, seal it with the sonic and nothing will disturb you until you're at the bottom floor. Then go straight to the TARDIS, don't look back, don't stop, just run to it and shut the door. Nothing will be able to get in after you. And don't-"

"Get killed." Kit finished for her and tucked the key she had given him into his pocket. "I know." Smiling, he took her hand and dropped it lightly back to her side. "And you try not to get sucked into hell."

"I won't…I can't." Sky shrugged and took a step back from him taking a final deep breath. "Go, now, before they get here first." Without another word, he left the room, both of them hoping to god the Cyberman were nowhere close just yet.

"Reboot in one minute." Sky turned back to the group and looked at Rose who was now arguing with her mother. The Doctor looked to Sky as Kit left and nodded, it was better no one extra was there for them to protect, should someone end up in the void…neither of them could watch someone's fate turn into that.

"I've had a life with you for nineteen years, but then I met the Doctor, and all the things I've seen him do for me, for you, for all of us. For the whole stupid planet and every planet out there. He does it alone, mum." Sky's chest tightened a little when she heard Rose say that. But that pain was nothing compared to how her stomach dropped after what Rose said next. "But not anymore, because now he's got me." Stepping forward, the Doctor took the yellow button out from his pocket and softly dropped it around Rose's neck from behind.

"What're you-" She was cut off as Pete pressed the button and she vanished, all of them did in just the blink of an eye, no goodbyes or anything. They just went.

"I'm sorry." It was all Sky could think of to say.

"It had to be done." The Doctor turned to make his way over to her, just to know she was definitely still there but he was interrupted.

"I think this is the on switch." Rose reappeared on her own, hands crossed over the button which hung around her neck. Sky was speechless…Rose had came back…while her family were all together on the other side of the void. The Doctor seemed just as shocked as he just looked at her for a long while as if considering exactly what to say.

"What are you doing?" Sky asked before he could, staring at the young girl. Her family was there and she was leaving them behind, choosing a man over her own family. Involuntarily, Sky's blood began to boil in her veins. She was making the wrong choice in love or not. You didn't just leave your family Sky had been faced with the same choice a long time ago but she hadn't even had to think about her final decision. Between escaping the war with the Doctor and protecting their family it was always family…the only reason she was there with him now was because she had been too late and the Doctor had turned into the only family she had.

"Once the breach collapses, that's it. You will never be able to see her again." The Doctor finally spoke, but he was shouting. "Your own mother!"

"I made my choice a long time ago, and I'm never going to leave you." After Rose spoke, she looked to Sky as if trying to make a point. But the woman was too angry for it to have any effect so she just turned and looked over a computer screen. "So what can I do to help?"

"Systems rebooted. Open access." The computer sounded loudly.

"Those coordinates over there, set them all at six." Reluctantly, the Doctor gave her a job. He couldn't force her to go back, she had the right t a choice but it didn't mean he had to be happy about it. "And hurry up."

"We've got Cybermen on the way up." Rose alerted them as she took her transporter off. Sky was busy on one computer, typing in the digits fast as the Doctor did the same on a different station. It was lucky she still remembered this sort of stuff, technical never was her strong point, she was much more of a physical worker.

"How many floors down?" Sky asked as her mind flashed to Kit, hoping he had gotten out in time. There was no way for her to tell, just had to hope that when she got there, he would be there waiting.

"Just one." That was good, at least that left them enough time.

"Levers operational." Whatever they were doing was working, Sky was actually starting to feel happier knowing whatever she was doing was right and she looked at the lever she would soon be pulling to send the Dalek's into hell.

"That's more like it. Bit of a smile. The old team." Sky looked behind her to see Rose's eyes solely focused on the Doctor as he was also smiling as the system started to reboot correctly.

"Hope and Glory, Mutt and Jeff, Shiver and Shake." The more both of them talked, the more Sky started to think they had both forgotten her own existence in that room.

"Which one's Shiver?" Rose laughed, glancing behind the Doctor and enjoying the older woman's glare.

"Oh, I'm Shake." The Doctor passed her a Magnaclamp and they both, together, put them on the walls next to the levers before securing them in place. "Press the red button." He instructed, and Rose did just as he said, locking the clamp to the wall. "Sky, get to the side." She did, joining him by the lever to help. "Get somewhere safe." He looked at her, catching her wrist which held the lever but she pulled it away and said nothing, only grasping the handle again. She knew he was watching her, staring at her but Sky ignored it and just waited for further instructions. "When it starts, just hold on tight. Shouldn't be too bad for us but the Daleks and the Cybermen are steeped in Void stuff." The Doctor shouted across to Rose who nodded and held her own lever. "Are you ready?"

"So are they." Rose gestured towards the window behind them where the Daleks were becoming visible.

"Let's do it!" Together the Doctor and Sky pushed their lever forward while Rose did the same for her own. Then they ran up and grabbed the magnaclamps just before the force started to pull them. Sky however stood, in awe, only watching as her hair started to be blown past her face roughly.

"Online." They just heard the computer speech out over the rumble of the void. A bright light then came out from the breech, a lot like the light which had surrounded Sky when the Daleks had emerged from the sphere. The wind picked up, almost moving Sky herself as it rushed past her. Then the window smashed and the first Daleks were taken into the void.

"The breach is open! Into the Void! Ha!" The Doctor laughed behind her and just able to form a smile, Sky looked to him and began to chuckle herself. They were finally winning, she was defeating them, if only it had been that easy last time.

Soon Cybermen joined the Daleks and flew past them into the void. It was all speeding past them at an increasing speed and Sky stumbled back a bit as the force increased. Even for someone who hadn't been through the void, the force of it when stood this close was almost too much to fight but she could handle it. However, the levers couldn't apparently, as on the other side of the room she noticed Rose's lever start to slip out of place.

"Offline." Almost immediately the force started to drop and the Daleks and Cybermen in mid air slowed down steadily.

Suddenly Rose let go of the Magnaclamps and staggered to the lever and the Doctor screamed out at her to stop. What he saw next made his hearts jump into his throat however, as without a second thought Sky dropped down to the floor and began to pull herself over to Rose. Daleks and Cybermen were still rushing past them at a speed, just not as fast as before, one wrong move and one hit to Sky and she would be kicked straight through the void. But the Doctor could only watch with baited breath as she slid across the floor, trying to get to her.

"I've got to get it upright!" Rose shouted but the suction was still too strong and she as well as the lever was being pulled the wrong way. Somehow though she managed it.

"Online and locked." The suction started back up again and it was starting to have a real effect on Sky even if she was trying not to let it show. She had to get to Rose, she had seen the way the Doctor looked at Rose and it was the same way he looked at her years and years ago.

But then she was hit, the arm of a Cyberman passing hit her ribs and sent her skidding across the ground closer to the void.

"Sky!" She heard the Doctor yell. But she wouldn't allow it, after everything she's gone through and all the time she had waited she wasn't going to allow some stupid void take her out. No chance. Luckily, the hit wasn't strong enough and she managed to still before continuing over to Rose.

"Rose, hold on! Hold on!" Sky yelled dodging another potential hit before slowly standing, stumbling the last few steps over to the lever. But just as Sky reached Rose, the girl lost her grip.

Rose closed her eyes, feeling herself being pulled back what felt like miles but was in reality only inches, before she stopped again. Opening her eyes, she saw the hand grasping her wrist before she felt it and looked up to see Sky holding her and hanging onto the lever to stop her from falling.

The Doctor couldn't reach them, he was helpless for the first time and all he could do was watch. If Sky even lost a bit of her grip this time, they would both be taken into the void now that she held Rose and he knew Sky wouldn't just let go and allow Rose to be taken alone. She would hold on, and he would lose them both. He would lose her again and this time she wouldn't be coming back.

"Sky!" He didn't even realise the word had left his mouth, never mind that he had yelled it. But Rose turned towards him and then realised what he was seeing. Sky's hand was beginning to slip, her fingers burning and turning red. But the hand around Rose's wrist only tightened as if telling her that she wouldn't have to be alone. She would hold on to Rose no matter what and in just a few seconds Sky would lose her grip and the void would take them both.

Without another thought about it, Rose knew what she had to do. She'd seen the Doctor when Sky had returned and he had never looked at her liked that. She would never be able to make him that happy and she couldn't deal with knowing she would cause him to lose that again. So she threw her other arm forward to grab Sky's wrist and then started to pry the woman's fingers from her own arm.

"What are you doing?!" Sky screamed but Rose continued, detaching them from each other one finger at a time. "Rose don't! Just hold on!" Sky cried desperately, she couldn't be responsible for another death she just couldn't. She had let so many people fall and die, Rose couldn't be another to add to the list, not after how much she had come to mean to the Doctor. With one final look to the Doctor, who was wide eyed at her actions, Rose then looked at Sky. "Please…" But it was too late and she let go, ripped away by the strong force before Sky could even attempt to reach out to her.

The Doctor screamed, where Sky could only continue to reach out until Pete reappeared and caught Rose in mid air. They were only there for a second, paused in the spot, and then they disappeared in a flash of light once more, to the other world. If they'd have blinked, they would have missed it but it had happened. Rose was gone…but at least she was alive. And with family.

"Systems closed."

After a few short moments, the wind began to slow again and the Void closed itself just like he had said it would. Swirling around until it disappeared into a black spot and a small flash of light. Sky fell to the floor before pushing herself back against the wall and curling into a ball, shaking. The Doctor however wall already up and pressed against the wall Rose had just nearly been sucked into. He leaned against the walls, pressing his cheek to what was now just…a wall. No void. No breech. After a few moments he stepped away and then his eyes fell on Sky and his heart fell.

He already knew why she was so upset, he didn't need to ask. She thought it was her fault but it wasn't, it so wasn't. She had tried to save her, she had saved Rose in a way. If she hadn't been there to catch her the first time, Pete may not have been there to catch her. Approaching her, the Doctor knelt in front of her and took hold of her hand to slowly bring her into his arms.

"Lelia." He whispered as her arms fell around his shoulders and her face buried in his neck.

'I'm sorry, I let her go.' She couldn't speak so she thought the words to him.

'No you didn't. She did it herself, she chose to.' He brushed a hand through her hair and then pushed her head back so he could watch her.

"I thought I'd lost you." The Doctor finally let a tear fall. He may have lost Rose but he didn't know if he would have been able to go on if he had lost Sky again. "I really thought I'd lost you." Sky met his eyes and saw everything that had been there the night before she had left his TARDIS, when he had kissed her like nothing was different. Maybe she'd read his feeling for Rose wrong, but that didn't take anything away from the loss he was feeling.

"I can make it up to you." She whispered softly, putting her hand to his cheek.

"There's nothing to make up Lelia." Theta shook his head. "It wasn't-"

"Either way…Let me."


	20. Doomsday Part 4

**Moonlightprincess99 - thank you! Hehe I know, it's always sad but you'll just have to see how things develope :D **

They had walked slowly down to the TARDIS's. Then the Doctor had had entered his TARDIS, having already been told by Sky where to go, as she opened hers and peered through, sighing with relief when she saw Kit sat in the navigators seat, looking as bored as ever.

"Finally! It's been hours! I thought-"As soon as he looked at Sky, he knew something was wrong. He stood and ran to her, catching her as she wrapped her arms around him. She had kept someone safe, at least that was something. "Hey…what-" It was when she started to cry softly that he knew something serious had happened.

Kit held her close for the first time, it was the first time he had had to, the first time he had seen her even a little bit emotional or venerable.

"Rose is gone." Sky explained. "Pete took her to the parallel world but she came back and then when we opened the void...she slipped. She almost fell into the void but Pete came back, saved her just in time." She was rambling, fast and interrupted by her own panting breaths, Kit was almost ready to tell her to slow down when she finished and let her eyes close.

"Well at least she's safe and alive right?" Kit spoke quietly as he rubbed a hand up and down her back. "She's not alone."

"She didn't want to though, she had so much here…with him." Sky stepped back and rubbed her eyes clear, looking up to Kit. "It's just…they've lost each other."

"But she still has her family and he still has you." Kit put a finger to her chin and forced her to look at him. "They'll know the others safe." Sky turned for a second but then spun back to him, this time really looking at him. "I need to ask you a favour."

"Anything." Kit shook his head, looking over the shaky state of the woman in front of him.

"I should stay with him, the Doctor, for a while…" She started and found it hard to say what she needed to. She didn't want him to feel like she was dumping him off so soon after what she had said to him about going with her. "But I'll be back." Sky said quickly in reassurance before he could think anything negative. "I just…I don't know when exactly…" She cringed and rubbed the back of her head. "You know what my timing is like…"

"Don't worry, I mean…" Kit trailed off. "If you need to go then…"

"But I will come back…I promise." Sky smiled at Kit, it was a little forced due to tears still in her eyes but she did mean it. "That's why I want you to look after this." She looked around her at the TARDIS and Kit instantly knew what she was meaning. It wasn't as if they were going to travel together in two separate TARDIS's "It could end up being years for me. And just a day for you." Kit just looked at her. She seemed sad but happy almost at the same time. "I need to tell you something though, because I don't know what will happen while I'm away."

"What?" He didn't have a clue what she was going to say. It could be anything. He'd already been hit with aliens, metal men, sonic devices, telepathy…Sky could have come out with anything.

"I…I could come back looking different." She started to explain, but it was hard. "A different body, a different face." That wasn't something he was expecting or had even thought possible for her. "See Time Lords, when they should die we can regenerate and it turns us into a whole new person. So we can live. But where still the same inside. It's just like a new car, I'll still be the same driver." Kit nodded but his face wasn't a one Sky had ever really seen before. It was twisted and confused and…very odd.

"Okay, so you could look…like a total stranger?" He asked, slowly but very carefully trying to understand.

"Yeah. So if a random stranger approaches you on the street and says she's me…it might be…but just to make sure." She laughed as did Kit as she rifled through her pockets, looking for something. But she came up empty and ran up and around the console, searching for well…anything she could half. "Ah!" She suddenly quirked and dropped to the grated floor, ripping up the grating and jumping down to the area under the console. Only moments later Sky emerged and pulled out two medallion coin like things, no bigger than an English two pence, from a small detailed box. "Here, take that one." Sky told Kit as she held one out and replaced the box to the storage type area.

"What is it?" Kit asked as he turned the small…piece of whatever it was, in his hand.

"It's a Flarentum, from a market on the Planet Trintum." Sky laughed to herself for remembering it so easily. "These belonged to me and...a...well someone. That bits not important. We thought we were so cool having something alien…" She chuckled again at the memory but when she felt the sadness growing when she remembered their fate, Sky pushed it back and forced herself to only remember the good. "They're exactly identical so if some faker comes knocking you'll know to give them the boot." Kit laughed and ran his finger over the small Flarentum before tucking it in him pocket just like she did with hers.

"So I just have to wait?" He asked, as Sky replaced the grate and walked over to the console to set them in motion. "And look after the TARDIS?"

"Keep on living your life, or don't…do something different." Sky suggested, knowing he didn't mean it horribly as he was smiling. "Find a girl?" She winked at him.

"Oh yeah, she'd be thrilled to know that at any moment a woman could turn up and carry me off." He joked with a smirk and joined her at the console, watching her run around pressing different buttons and levers and switches. A month was spent around someone almost 24/7 was a long time, enough to get to know someone and enough to begin to like someone. It could be a year or a day. The words echoed through his mind as he watched her work. He really hoped it would just be a day.

"Ready? This time I promise to get you home on the right day." Sky smiled and put her hand on the final trigger. All he had to do was nod faintly and they were off, the floor rattling as they smiled. In the past few minutes she had cheered up, almost forgetting everything that had happened outside the TARDIS doors. But when they landed, and she walked out into Kit's back garden, her sadness returned when she saw the Doctor's TARDIS stood waiting. She was going to help her Doctor but it wasn't going to be nice to watch.

"Sorry to pull her away so early." They both heard the Doctor and they turned to see him stood up against the back wall of the house, waiting. He was looking at Kit but soon looked to Sky and faintly smiled before letting it fall again.

"You're not." Was all Kit said.

"I'll see you soon." Sky smiled and he nodded before walking off, until he suddenly stopped and returned to Sky's side while searching his pockets.

"You'll need these." He said and handed Sky her sonic screwdriver, psychic paper and TARDIS key.

"Oh right." She managed a smile and took her screwdriver and paper but hesitated before pushing the key back into his hand. "Actually you hang onto that one, I won't be needing it." No more words were said just small smiles and a look before Kit left and disappeared inside the house. The Doctor said something that looked like a goodbye to him and then pushed off the wall once the door was shut behind Kit.

"You ready?" He asked once he was stood in front of Sky, looking down to her sadly. "You don't have to you know, I'll be fine really."

"Stop trying to get rid of me. I'm coming." She told him straight, looking him directly in the eye. "I'm doing this and then I'm staying even if it's just for a little while." The Doctor nodded and then pulled her to him until his arms wrapped all the around her tightly.

"I love you Lelia." Sky felt that he did, he really did. And it made her just hug him back tighter. Everything with Rose had been so confusing but now she was gone it was...empty. Neither of them knew what to do.

"I love you too." She looked up to him and reached up to touch his lips lightly with her finger tips. It had been so full of emotions and they were still spinning inside her head and most likely his as well. They needed a rest, a break, a time to just think. "Forever. Now come on."

They ended up somewhere, she didn't even know. All she knew was that he needed his time and the closure with Rose. So that's what Sky gave him. She gave him a chance to have that closure so they could move on and so Rose could too.

Minutes ago she had left him with the small but complex instructions she was sure he already knew and then walked off, promising to give him privacy. But just past the doorway which led further into the TARDIS Sky had stopped and hidden behind the wall. She just wanted to listen and know. She needed her closure too.

"Where are you?" She heard Rose's voice faintly through the TARDIS.

"Inside the Tardis." The Doctor spoke back. It was working, she'd made it work. "There's one tiny little gap in the Universe left, just about to close. Sky found it and worked it out." She heard the smile in his voce and smiled too, she wasn't just a stay at home maid. "And it takes a lot of power to send this projection. I'm in orbit around a super nova. I'm burning up a sun just to say goodbye."

"You look like a ghost." Rose's voice was sad, almost the saddest Sky had ever heard.

"Hold on." The buzz of his sonic sounded.

"Can I?"

"I'm still just an image. No touch." But it would look real, like he was stood right there in front of her. Sky could only imagine how tempting it was to reach out and touch.

"Can't you come through properly?" Rose asked, a small hint of desperation in her tone.

"The whole thing would fracture. Two universes would collapse."

"So?" Sky heard them both laugh and let herself slide down to the floor against the wall.

"Where are we? Where did the gap come out?"

"We're in Norway." Norway? Sky questioned herself in her head. Could have been worse.

"Norway. Right." It was easy to tell that neither of them knew what to say to one another. Well…who did know what to say to a person, knowing you were never going to see them ever again. That you couldn't, no matter how much you wished it to be true.

"About fifty miles out of Burgen. It's called 'Dårlig Ulv Stranden'."

"Dalek?"

"Dårlig. It's Norwegian for bad. This translates as Bad Wolf Bay." That was enough of the bad stuff for them. "How long have we got?"

"About two minutes according to Sky." The Doctor answered sadly, but Sky would have let him have longer if it was possible. She would have let him have years.

"I can't think of what to say!" Rose began to laugh but it sounded like she was upset.

"You've still got Mister Mickey, then?"

"There's five of us now. Mum, Dad, Mickey and the baby."

"You're not?" The Doctor seemed to gasp.

"No. It's Mum. She's three months gone. More Tylers on the way." It was good, she had her family there and they were still happy. They were moving on.

"And what about you? Are you?" It was just small talk but that's all that was needed, so that they knew the other was alright.

"Yeah, I'm back working in the shop."

"Oh, good for you." Sky heard the sadness in the Doctor. Going from travelling galaxies and seeing things no one else had seen to going back to the same job. Like none of it had ever happened.

"Shut up. No, I'm not. There's still a Torchwood on this planet. It's open for business. I think I know a thing or two about aliens."

"Rose Tyler, Defender of the Earth." The Doctor grinned. "You're dead, officially, back home. So many people died that day and you've gone missing. You're on a list of the dead. Here you are, living a life day after day. The one adventure I can never have." Not like he used to. Sky thought and tried to stop her mind drifting but it was too hard. Just one day she would have liked to sit down and remember those times with the Doctor but not yet. Not while it was still so painful.

"Am I ever going to see you again?" Rose cried now.

"You can't." The painfully honest truth.

"What're you going to do?" She asked then and there was true curiosity in her voice, probably from hearing Sky had set this u for them and that she was there, somewhere.

"Oh, I've got the TARDIS. Same old life…the…almost last of the Time Lords." He smiled and caught himself, having grown too used to saying that. But now he wasn't alone. "And I have Sky."

"It's good that you're not on your own." The woman was still smiling after hearing the Doctor saying her name. But then she heard Rose stumbling over her words. "I…I love you." As soon as the words left her mouth Sky's hearts were in her throat and she waited for his reply. It didn't hurt to hear Rose say it, she knew it and could see it anyhow. But…to hear him say it.

"Quite right, too." He paused for a long time. "And I suppose, if it's one last chance to say it, Rose Tyler." He stopped and Sky gasped. It was only minutes later that she realized that the image had cut out and they'd been cut off. He hadn't got to say it, but he was going to say it. And Sky…Sky didn't know how to take that.

She stood from the floor she was balled up on and straightened out her clothes before slowly walking out and up to the console where the Doctor still looked to be standing in place. He was crying, Sky could see from where she was standing. But she didn't know what to do. She didn't even know whether it was a good thing for her to be there anymore.

"Theta?" She spoke out, a frown covering her face as he snapped to look at her. He didn't know how long she had been stood there but it didn't matter because he could see in her eyes that she knew and horror washed over him. He hadn't meant to…he thought she was dead. It would always be Sky, always…Rose or no Rose he would always choose Sky. But that didn't change the fact he had fell in love with another.

"I'm sorry." His whisper was almost silent as he stared at her, just moments away from falling into pieces. "I didn't-" Sky cut him off by running over and wrapping herself around him, letting Theta crumble as he clung to her. She couldn't blame him, she didn't really know how she felt, but she wouldn't blame him. She still loved him and she would wait until he was hers fully again. If he wanted to be. "I still love you. I do." The Doctor cried and put a hand to her cheek. "I never stopped." Sky only nodded and pulled him closer, letting him kiss her softly and rest his forehead on hers.

"I know." She smiled. "Me too." This time Sky kissed him and held on to the jacket of his suit. It didn't seem possible, but he held her tighter and buried one hand in her hair. It wasn't a deep kiss, just soft but it was needed. They felt it and it settled them, knowing that after everything they still had each other. When they pulled away, they smiled at each other and Sky could have cried with joy at the sight of his smile. But then something must have caught his eyes because his smile dropped suddenly and his face twisted.

"What?" He spoke and slowly stepped away from Sky.

"Oh!" The voice behind her made Sky jump around before she could ask Theta what was wrong.

"What?" Sky repeated just like he had when she saw the figure standing there, dressed completely in white.

"Who are you?" It was a woman...a female human by the initial looks of it... and she looked angry.

"But-" The Doctor screeched a bit before he was interrupted.

"Where am I?" The woman yelled at them.

"What?" Sky asked again and looked around the TARDIS for any signs of how she got here because she was here...in the TARDIS...in the middle of the Time Vortex...she was here.

"What the hell is this place?" She yelled at them again, flapping her hands about.

"What?"


	21. The Runaway Bride Part 1

"What?" It made no sense. But while the Doctor stared at the woman, Sky stared around her. How!? "You can't do that. I wasn't... We're in flight. That is, that is physically impossible! How did-"

"Tell me where I am." The woman interrupted the Doctor again, shouting over him as she stood almost perfectly still on the spot. "I demand you tell me right now. Where am I?" She was staring at them both hard whereas they just looked back at her with completely bewildered expressions. Sky didn't even know if they were anywhere near Earth or anything, but never the less it was impossible.

"Inside the TARDIS." The Doctor gathered the strength to answer her first, looking over her as if she was a hallucination.

"The what?" She was very loud.

"The TARDIS." Sky repeated for her, saying it a bit louder than the Doctor had previously done.

"The what?" Apparently that didn't help though. The woman just continued to stand there yelling at them but Sky couldn't blame her. If she had been mysteriously transported into a spaceship which was mid flight in a space vortex she'd be a bit freaked out too.

"The TARDIS!" The Doctor full on shouted towards her now.

"The what?"

"It's called the TARDIS!" Sky tried again as the Doctor raised a hand to hold his head. He glanced at Sky for a moment after she yelled and then took a step back to watch the two women. They didn't need this, not now. Not now at all. They were busy and tired and had a lot to...just not now...

"That's not even a proper word. You're just saying things." The woman finally looked around her slower this time and took in a few details before looking back to the two other people she was now with.

"How did you get in here?" The Doctor asked desperately and looked at the console but nothing had happened. There hadn't even been a jolt or a spark or a bump...she'd just appeared. So calmly it was like she had been there all along.

"Well, obviously, when you kidnapped me." She screamed but then scoffed and dropped her hands down by her sides. "Who was it? Who's paying you? Is it Nerys? Oh my God, she's finally got me back. This has got Nerys written all over it." The woman began to ramble now as she laughed, and it just made everything even more confusing.

"Who the hell is Nerys?" Sky frowned, squinting as she crossed her arms over her chest and put one hand to her temple. Trying to gather the strength from somewhere to actually try and understand.

"Your best friend." The woman cackled and shook her head sighing.

"Hold on, wait a minute..." The Doctor stopped and seemed to actually look at her properly for the first time, considering what he said next. "What are you dressed like that for?"

"I'm going ten pin bowling. Why do you think, dumbo? I was halfway up the aisle!" Sky wanted to groan out loud more than anything. Middle of a wedding and the TARDIS had decided to pick her up. "I've been waiting all my life for this. I was just seconds away, and then you, I don't know, you drugged me or something!"

"I haven't done anything!" The Doctor exclaimed, his face still twisted in wonder before he glanced at Sky and back at the woman.

"I'm having the police on you! Me and my husband, as soon as he is my husband, we're going to sue the living backside off you!" Donna began to scream as she walked up to join them at the console and followed the Doctor around as he began pushing buttons, watching what he was doing. Whereas Sky just ran her eyes of the woman in white, trying to look for anything out of the ordinary...but she was fine, not even a grazed knee.

But then the woman set her eyes on the doors to the TARDIS and began to run. "No, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Don't!" Sky called out to stop her, but before either the Doctor or Sky could get her to stop she already had her hands on the door and pulled them open. They both heard her intake of breath and Sky took it upon herself to walk over and stand near the top of the ramp, looking down at the woman slightly. The View out of the TARDIS was pretty, astoundingly so, but it wasn't normal.

"You're in space." Sky spoke softly, the woman still staring out at the Nebula with her body shaking slightly. "Outer space." She really didn't know how to explain it. At least Kit had willingly entered, not sucked up into it. "This is my...well his, space ship. It's called the TARDIS."

"How am I breathing?" It was a sensible question, but not really the first question Sky expected to have to answer. She was prepared more for the 'A SPACESHIP' sort of thing.

"The TARDIS is protecting us." The woman slowly began to nod at the answer she was given, before taking a deep breath to ask her next question.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Sky. This is the Doctor." Sky took her hands from her pockets and rose her chin slightly as the woman turned her head slightly and for the first time looked at the other woman in front of her. They look sort of the same age, but Sky looks a few years younger maybe, yet her eyes give Donna the impression she was older...years older. "You?" Sky's voice broke the woman out of her gaze.

"Donna." It was short but it was all she could really say, all she had to say and perhaps wanted to say to two strangers she had met under unforeseen circumstances in outer space. Sky walked forward and soon came to the doors where both women turned back to stare out at the supernova they were still in orbit around.

"Human?" The Doctor spoke up from behind Sky as he walked over to stand only a few steps from where she had previously stood.

"Yeah. Is that optional?" Donna seemed to roll her eyes, causing Sky to smirk as she looked behind her and saw the Doctor wide eyed, having been put firmly in his place.

"Well, it is for us." Sky was the one to answer for him. But as her eyes studied the spectacular colours of the nebula as they danced around each other, she saw Donna snapped her head towards her.

"You're an alien?" It was part question, part accusation. "You're both aliens?"

"Yeah." The Doctor answered. Then nothing else was said, she seemed to take it pretty well considering her reaction when she first appeared. But then after transporting to a space ship...meeting aliens may not have been that big of a shock.

"It's freezing with these doors open." Donna whispered towards Sky after a few moments, and the Time Lady slammed the doors shut in front of them, cutting off the draft and causing the Doctor to run back to the TARDIS's console.

"I don't understand that and I understand everything." He began to rattle on. Sky slowly pushed past Donna to join him and see what exactly he was doing but she felt the woman following close behind. "This can't happen! There is no way a human being can lock itself onto the Tardis and transport itself inside. It must be..." The Doctor grabbed an instrument and used it to look into Donna's eyes while Sky moved over to the monitor and looked over the scans he was doing. "Impossible. Some sort of subatomic connection? Something in the temporal field? Maybe something pulling you into alignment with the Chronon shell. Maybe something macro mining your DNA within the interior matrix. Maybe a genetic-" The Doctor sharply stopped and a crack sound made Sky look up. She had slapped him, Donna had slapped him and it amused the female Time Lord greatly. "What was that for?" The Doctor spoke in a quieter and much calmer tone as he looked at Donna. However, he soon glared at Sky when he saw her trying to hide a laugh.

"Get me to the church!" Donna yelled in his face.

"Right! Fine! I don't want you here anyway!" The Doctor skipped to the console but Sky had already begun the process for starting the engines. "Where is this wedding?"

"Saint Mary's, Hayden Road, Chiswick, London, England, Earth, the Solar System." Sky laughed as she keyed in the address to the monitor, setting their destination. While the Doctor moved around her hurriedly, setting dials to their correct place.

"I knew it, acting all innocent." Sky was the first to look up, but she soon saw the Doctor still and his face drop out the corner of her eye as Donna picked up the purple blouse which had belonged to Rose. "I'm not the first, am I? How many women have you abducted?"

"That's my friend's." The Doctor answered quietly.

"Where is she, then? Popped out for a spacewalk?" The human woman accused sarcastically, shaking the item of clothing at the Doctor after walking around to him. "What about her?" Donna then pointed at Sky. "Did you abduct her an'all?"

"My friend...She's gone." He was almost whispering his voice breaking as he spoke and glanced at sky who kept her focus on the monitor. "And no, Sky is my wife." Sky gave Donna a gentle smile when she looked to him as if for confirmation.

"Gone where?" Donna turned back to the blouse in her hand and went back to quizzing the Doctor.

"I lost her." He hadn't even been given a real chance to deal with it before being thrown into this and the sadness was still clear through his whole being.

"Well, you can hurry up and lose me!" She shouted again. "How do you mean, lost?" The Doctor stepped forward and took the blouse from Donna's hands before throwing it in a random direction, into the TARDIS. It was clear to even Donna by now that he wasn't going to answer no matter how many times she asked. So instead she turned and stood closer to Sky. The Time Lord looked up to the woman slowly, undecided on whether it would be a good time to talk or not what with the Doctor stood on the opposite side of the console looking more than just depressed.

"Right." She decided that if she didn't talk, no one would, and then they wouldn't get anywhere quickly. "Chiswick?"

The landed shortly after Sky had started up the power and sent them travelling. She kept her eyes on the Doctor, making sure he was okay every few seconds but she couldn't get anything, he had even blocked his head to stop her from knowing how he was feeling and what he was thinking. Sky didn't know how she felt about that, the only other times he had done that was when it was really bad, like when he'd return home with a different face and didn't want her to know how it had happened.

'Theta?' She made sure to approach softly, hoping he would open up to her. As she looked to him, he looked up to meet her eyes and slowly nodded. But that was all she got, nothing spoken back to her, not a smile, just a nod.

"We've landed." The Doctor alerted Donna before slowly gathering his coat and following her as she ran from the TARDIS and into the street outside.

"I said, Saint Mary's. What sort of Martian are you?" Sky chuckled when she heard Donna clearly even from where she was stood outside the TARDIS as Sky remained by the console. "Where's this?" They were definitely in London somewhere...she thinks...no...no...It was definitely London. But she was normally good at destinations, still a little iffy with times but, Sky never faulted on destination.

"Something's wrong with her." Sky looked up as she heard the Doctor refer to the TARDIS. "The Tardis, it's like she's-" Suddenly, he ran back through the doors and up to the console. Sky stepped back as he zipped around twisting things and banging things and listening to things. "Recalibrating! She's digesting. What is it? What have you eaten? What's wrong?" The Doctor voice quietened as he spoke to the TARDIS. "Donna? You've really got to think. Is there anything that might've caused this?"

Outside, Donna was walking around the TARDIS in what seemed to be constant circles. Sky noticed the woman would pop her head through the door and then a few moments later would do it again. Donna had noticed it was bigger on the inside.

"Anything you might've done? Any sort of alien contacts? I can't let you go wandering off. What if you're dangerous. I mean, have you, have you seen lights in the sky, or did you touch something like something, something different, something strange?" Sky watched as Donna looked into the TARDIS a final time and then put her hand over her mouth and stepped back in shock. Sky began to run after her while he continued to ramble on, clueless. "Or something made out of a strange type of metal or. Who're you getting married to? Are you sure he's human? He's not a bit overweight with a zip around his forehead, is he?" Sky could still hear his questions as she left the TARDIS and looked around until she saw the woman slowly walking down the street. "Donna!" The Doctor finally realised he was alone and ran out after them.

"Donna." Sky called out to try and get her to stop. But at least she wasn't running away so both Sky and the Doctor soon caught up to her.

"Leave me alone. I just want to get married." She was holding her dress of the ground and walking with as much pride as she could muster.

"Come back to the Tardis." The female Time Lord tried to reason with the woman, she was much better at the talking thing than the Doctor ever was. He always got a little bit...over excited.

"No way. That box is too weird!" She never once stopped to look at either of the Aliens.

"Oh it's bigger on the inside, that's all." The Doctor pitched it with a small smile towards her as they all continued down the street.

"Oh! That's all?" Donna spoke with clear sarcasm and glanced at her watch. "Ten past three. I'm going to miss it."

"You can phone them." Sky tried to reassure the woman, after all it was her wedding day. A pretty unfortunate time to get abducted. "Tell them where you are."

"How do I do that?" Donna finally looked at the woman, stopping her pace to turn towards the pair.

"Haven't you got a mobile?" The Doctor asked looking over Donna in her dress.

"I'm in my wedding dress. It doesn't have pockets. Who has pockets? Have you ever seen a bride with pockets?" That sent her over the edge a little bit as she began speaking very quickly at them, the anger growing with each second that passed. "When I went to my fitting at Chez Alison, the one thing I forgot to say is give me pockets!" With that, the two Time Lords where left speechless until she turned and began walking away from them once more.

"So this man you're marrying. What's his name?" Sky began, walking by the Doctors side, to try and ease the tension between them all. It seemed to do the trick as well, since Donna slowed and a dreamy smile appeared on her face.

"Lance."

"Good luck, Lance." While Sky almost awed, the Doctor gave a sigh and looked around them.

"Oi!" If there was ever going to be another woman apart from Sky to keep the Doctor in his place, it was this Donna. "No stupid Martians are going to stop me from getting married. To hell with you!" Then she took off, running down the street and away from them. Sky didn't waste any time in following the woman, keeping on her heels and shouting after her.

"I'm, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not from Mars." Whereas the Doctor was a little behind them, offended at being called such a thing. But eventually they followed Donna onto a main busy street filled with people and traffic and shops. Sky knew she had got them to London!

"Taxi!" Donna yelled, well...more like screamed at a passing taxi but threw her arms down by her side when it drove straight past her. "He had his light on!"

"There's another one!" The Doctor called out this time as another black cab drove by but they had no luck as it drove straight passed again.

"Taxi! Oi!" Donna yelled after it, throwing her hand in the air a she became more frustrated.

"There's one!" Sky yelled, pointing at one which had its light on, meaning it was available for hire. But the same thing happened and it rolled by. It wasn't the first time this had happened to Sky, she had made Kit catch a cab for her more than once over their one month stay in London.

"Do you have this effect on everyone?" The Doctor squinted as they watched the taxi's drive by without even a glance there way. "Why aren't they stopping?"

"They think I'm in fancy dress." She exclaimed just before another taxi drove by, this time the driver had the window rolled down and shouted something out to her.

"Stay off the sauce, darling!" Well he was charming.

"They think I'm drunk." Donna sighed over dramatically just as another car drove past on the other side of the road.

"You're fooling no one, mate!" Ooh...Sky had a feeling that one in particular was not going to go down well with the bride to be.

"They think I'm in drag!" This time Donna really did get annoyed but she sounded fed up as the Doctor put up his hand when he saw another taxi approaching.

"Hold on, hold on." But before the Doctor could do or say anything more, a piercing whistle broke through the air for a long few seconds before falling silently again. Together, the Doctor and Donna both looked at Sky with questioning looks as she lowered her hand from her mouth. A Taxi on the other side of the road did a quick U turn to pick them up within seconds. "How did-" The Doctor stuttered as the taxi came to a stop in front of them.

"You pick up a few things living in London." Sky shrugged with a smirk and was the first to climb into the Taxi, next was Donna and then the Doctor. It was a squish but they managed, the Time Lord's getting comfortable as Donna desperately rattled off the address to the driver.

"Saint Mary's in Chiswick, just off Hayden Road. It's an emergency. I'm getting married. Just hurry up!" She wasn't giving up and kept up her attitude as the driver pulled away from the curb and set of down the road.

"You know it'll cost you, sweetheart? Double rates today." Suddenly Donna stopped at looked at Sky and the Doctor each in turn.

"Oh, my God." Her movements were sharp and her eyes were wide. "Have either of you got any money?"

"Er, no." The Doctor answered before looking at Sky who shook her head at Donna, biting her lip.

"No sorry...Haven't you?" She asked Donna but instantly knew she'd made a mistake when the bride's face fell.

"Pockets!" They had only made it a mere five meters down the road maybe, when the driver pulled to a halt and forced them to get back out of the cab. So much for generosity! They were back where they had started and each of the trio looked around themselves desperately, looking for an answer. "And that goes double for your mother! I'll have him." Donna screamed, waving her fist after the taxi. "I've got his number. I'll have him. Talk about the Christmas spirit."

"Is it Christmas?" Sky asked, finally looking around her for the first time with some focus. It was only then she realised all of the street decorations and the shop windows all done out for the holidays. She didn't know how much time that meant had passed since she had dropped Kit off, it could have been months...maybe even years.

"Well, duh. Maybe not on Mars, but here it's Christmas Eve." Aw, Sky had never really had a good Christmas eve. Having never really been offered dinner by the head of her old human household. It was always just a day for extra chores for her. "Phone box! We can reverse the charges!"

"How come you're getting married on Christmas Eve?" The Doctor asked as they ran towards the phone box which was on a smaller side street off the one they were currently on.

"Can't bear it. I hate Christmas." Donna puffed as she ran, getting undoubtedly tired out due to the heavy dress. "Honeymoon, Morocco. Sunshine, lovely. What's the operator? I've not done this in years. What do you dial? 100?" She spoke quicker than anyone Sky had ever known almost...apart from that Dolrum on the planet Hytro...now they spoke quick.

Before Donna could blink, the Doctor pulled out his screwdriver and buzzed the phone to get Donna a dial tone. "Just call the direct." He instructed before putting the device back in his pocket.

"What did you do?" Donna sounded shocked once again, probably for the what? Tenth time that morning?

"Something Martian. Now phone." The Doctor said before looking back over his shoulder at Sky. "Go get money!" She understood what he meant instantly and left the two standing in the phone box, The Doctor stood watch outside making sure Sky stayed in sight. He still wasn't comfortable with leaving her on her own not after losing Rose...Rose so easily. He wouldn't let the most important person in his life leave his sight just yet.

Sky ran across the street to the nearest cash machine and waited in line behind a man who seemed to be taking his own sweet time. It felt like an hour before he finally stepped out of the way and Sky was able to go to the cash machine crouching over slightly so she was able to use her own screwdriver on the machine, overriding the software so two £20 notes were quickly dispensed for her to take. She couldn't help but smile as she did it, feeling just a little bit naughty, but when she went to take a step back her eyes met something which made her smile slowly melt away.

Behind Sky, the Doctor was trying to stop Donna from getting in the taxi after she had begged a strange woman for a tenner. He wouldn't be able to follow her, not without Sky being with him. But she wasn't coming back quick enough, instead Sky's eyes were planted of three Santa's just down the street playing a Christmas carol on three different brass instruments as they started walking towards her.

"Thanks for nothing, spacemen!" Sky could hear Donna yelling at both herself and the Doctor but she couldn't take her eyes from the men in costumes and identical masks. There was just something... "I'll see you in Court." Finally turned, Sky's eyes focused on the cab Donna had climbed into and noticed a similar Santa to the strange ones down the street was driving her.

"Donna!" Sky called out loudly before her eyes found the Doctor who was staring right back at her. "Doctor!" She shouted for him and he began running towards her as she turned back around. By now the three Santa's were stood and had moved their instruments so they were pointing right at Sky.

"Pilot Fish..." That was all she heard leave the Doctor's mouth once he was by her side. Then he pulled out his sonic screwdriver quickly and zapped the machine causing banknotes to fly out around them like a whirlwind. It didn't take long for the humans around them to swarm in an attempt to get their hands on the cash and it allowed the Doctor to take Sky's hand and pull her into a run with him, so they wouldn't be followed.


	22. The Runaway Bride Part 2

They ran back to the TARDIS, which thankfully wasn't far, and the Doctor slammed the door behind them before running to the console. "You said they were pilot fish?" Sky questioned as she leant on the door, catching her breath. "Why would pilot fish be after Donna?"

"They're not..." The Doctor answered but trailed off as he looked down the ramp to her. "But something is and they've sent the pilot fish to get it for them." He sent the TARDIS going quickly and started pressing a sequence of buttons she hadn't seen pressed in that specific order before...but she knew what it would do.

"What are you doing?" Sky raised an eyebrow at him as she approached the console. "Doctor..." But he grabbed her hand before she could say anymore, using her hand to hold down a particular button before moving to the monitor to start tracking Donna.

Suddenly sparks began flying and Sky had to turn her head away to avoid the glowing ashes which rained down on her from the different components of the TARDIS. She was going to be sick after this, never mind indigestion. It didn't help that the Doctor felt the need to hit the TARDIS with a hammer.

"Behave!" He shouted at her and then ran back around to Sky, taking her hand away to press another sequence of buttons before turning to her. "I need you to keep us stable in flight while I get Donna."

"What?!" Sky yelled at him before he could move past her and she blocked his path. "I can't do that! I don't kn-" The Doctor cut her off by putting his hands on each side of her face and kissing her quick.

"Yes you can." That was all he said to her with a smile. And then he ran past her towards the doors to the TARDIS. Sky had barely held control of the TARDIS for two seconds when she moved too quickly on one control and bounced off, what she guessed was, the Earth ground hard. It sent the Doctor and almost her to the ground but she held it and steadied the old girl again.

"Easy girl." Sky hushed the TARDIS, running to fix more controls as she held the engines steady. The Doctor looked back at her briefly to check she had everything under control, before standing back up and pulling the doors of the TARDIS open. Sky weaved them through the traffic on the main road outside but stilled when the TARDIS reached Donna and she held an old leaver in place to keep their speed steady so they stayed next to the taxi.

"Open the door!" The Doctor yelled as he stood at the open door and looked down to Donna who was sat in the taxi. "Open the door!" He screamed louder a few seconds later while Sky still struggled to keep them steady enough to make sure the Doctor didn't fall out.

"Santa's a robot!" She knew it was Donna's voice and she didn't know why but the simple phase just cause Sky to laugh. Sometimes human confusion was the most entertaining thing, even at times like this.

"Donna, open the door." The Doctor ignored the woman and tried again to tell her what to do.

"What for?" Her heavy accented voice sounded again.

"You've got to jump!"

"I'm not blinking flip jumping. I'm supposed to be getting married!" Before anything else could be said between the pair, the taxi sped off still with Donna in the back. The Doctor didn't have to say one word for Sky to push down on the lever she held so they too picked up speed to catch up to the taxi. However it came with a price as bangs and sparks flew from the console again. Sky couldn't control the TARDIS 100% as it began to spark and they scrapped along the roof of a car before coming next to Donna's taxi again.

"Listen to me. You've got to jump." And quick, Sky was working as hard as she could and as hard as she knew how to but she couldn't keep it up forever. It was hurting the TARDIS and they only had a limited amount of time left or they would malfunction.

"I'm not jumping on a motorway."

"Whatever that thing is, it needs you. And whatever it needs you for, it's not good!" The Doctor tried to convince her quickly as he eyes darted between Donna and the robot which was driving her. "Now, come on!"

"I'm in my wedding dress!" The TARDIS dipped again and hit the tarmac as Sky tried to steer them as close as she could to the taxi, making the jump as easy as possible for Donna.

"Yes, you look lovely!" He almost sounded cheery as he held his arms out towards her. "Come on!" Sky looked up from the console for just a second to see Donna finally sliding the door to the taxi open. The Doctor reached out for her but he just couldn't reach her until she jumped.

"I can't do it." Donna heisted, looking down and watching the road under her pass at 60 miles per hour.

"Trust me." They were faint, but sky heard the words come from the Doctor in a gentle whisper.

"Is that what you said to her? Your friend?" She wasn't saying it to accuse him of anything now, she was saying it to know she could truly trust him, to trust them both. "The one you lost? Did she trust you?"

"Yes, she did. And she is not dead. She is so alive. Now, jump!" With a scream, Donna launched herself out of the taxi and landed on top of the Doctor with a loud thump. The doctor used his foot to slam the TARDIS doors shut and as soon as they were Sky sent them into the air and into the vortex.

They materialised on top of a building, a very tall London sky scraper by the looks of it. Sky had run out from the TARDIS first to check on the damage she had done to the outside. She hoped to the heavens above that she hadn't scrapped it or dented it; the Doctor would never forgive her. But thankfully all was fine, she was just a little smoky.

Donna had followed her out and looked out on to the city below from the rooftop they stood on with a sigh. Whereas the Doctor, well he was using a fire extinguisher to try and calm the sparks and smoke that was bellowing out the TARDIS.

"The funny thing is..." He began speaking through his coughs. "For a spaceship, she doesn't really do that much flying. We'd better give her a couple of hours." He put down the fire extinguisher and turned to look at Donna who was looking at her watch sadly. "You all right?"

"Doesn't matter." The woman shrugged a little, standing still as the Doctor came and stood by Sky's side, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Did we miss it?" Sky asked her, sadness over coming her too. They hadn't meant to cause the woman to miss her wedding. But Sky felt partly responsible.

"Yeah." Donna nodded slowly with a sigh.

"Well..." The alien female tried desperately to think of something which would cheer Donna up, but could only really come up with the obvious stuff. "You can book another date."

"Course we can." Donna agreed but there was nothing really in her voice which said she really agreed with the Time Lord. She just wanted to be married by now.

"You've still got the honeymoon." The Doctor tried in an attempt to cheer her up but if anything, what he said just made her more depressed.

"It's just a holiday now." Donna said and looked across at the two who stood side by side, watching the skyline of London together. The odd pair, an alien couple. It was then Donna realised she knew nothing about them, they had come after her and saved her but who were they?

"Yeah. Yeah. Sorry." The Doctor shook his head,

"It's not your fault." Donna showed them the hint of a smile and Sky returned it, nodding towards the edge of the building for Donna to come sit.

"Oh? That's a change." Both of the women heard the Doctor quip as they walked off together.

"Wish you had a time machine." Donna suddenly said to Sky as they walked side by side. "Then we could go back and get it right." The Time Lady swallowed hard staring straight ahead of her before she began to slowly nod her head.

"Yeah, yeah." Her voice was slightly broken before she cleared her throat. "But even if we did, we couldn't go back on someone's personal timeline...Apparently."

They reached the end of the building and took a seat on the cold concrete ground, letting their legs dangle off the end. From where they were, they could look over a cathedral and the rest of the city, over to the river. Following the two women, the Doctor looked down at Donna and began to take off his jacket to drape over her shoulders.

"God, you're skinny." Donna squirmed in the coat, trying to hold it around her. "This wouldn't fit a rat." Sky laughed as she turned her head slowly to look at the younger human.

"Oh and you'd better put this on." The Doctor pulled a gold ring out of his pocket and passed it to Sky so she could put in on Donna.

"Oh, do you have to rub it in?" She scoffed and let Sky take her hand as they both laughed.

"Those creatures can trace you. This is a bio-damper." Sky explained with a smile. "Should keep you hidden. With this ring, I thee bio-damp." Sky slid the ring onto the woman's finger with the smirk and then let Donna admire it.

"For better or for worse." Donna was laughing but frowned slightly. "I thought you said you two were married? But no rings or...bio dampers?" The Doctor was the first to laugh as his hand skimmed Sky's where they sat.

"Different race...Different traditions." He shrugged a little with a chuckle. "We have our own things." Sky smiled at that, feeling the hum roar in the back of her head for a second as they both concentrated on the connection. Donna smiled at them, watching both of their faces settle with happiness

"So, come on then." She then spoke, nudging Sky's shoulder. "Robot Santa's, what are they for?"

"Ah, your basic robo scavenger. The Father Christmas stuff is just a disguise." Sky began the explanation, the images of the creepy, plastic Santa flashing in her mind.

"They're trying to blend in. I met them last Christmas." The Doctor followed on for her as his hand went around her back and allowed to Sky lean on him slightly.

"Why, what happened then?" Donna spoke up and Sky was also a little interested but she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"Great big spaceship hovering over London?" The Doctor turned his head to look at Donna in surprise. "You didn't notice?" The woman shook her head, causing his frown to deepen.

"I had a bit of a hangover." She shrugged before looking back to the city. Sky didn't even know the woman but she could guess this was typical for her.

"I spent Christmas Day just over there, the Powell Estate, with this family." The Doctor paused until he felt Sky's hand lightly rub down his leg, over his knee. "My friend, she had this family. Well, they were. Still, gone now." Silence surrounded them for a second or two, before Donna looked at the Doctor with a raised eyebrow.

"Your friend, who was she?" The human asked with a small hint of sympathy. She too now was seeing the sadness fill the Doctor's eyes and approached the question carefully.

"Question is, what do camouflaged robot mercenaries want with you?" Sky spoke up suddenly when she felt the Doctor tense beside her. She wanted to save him the pain of talking about it, but she also wanted to save her own pan. She felt bad for the loss of Rose but seeing how it affected the man she loved hurt too. "And how did you get inside the Tardis? I don't know..." Sky looked the woman over. "What's your job?"

"I'm a secretary." The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and ran it down the length of Donna's body.

"It's weird. I mean, you're not special..." Sky instantly snapped her eyes to the Doctor, sending him a look to mind his manners but he wasn't paying her attention. "You're not powerful, you're not connected, you're not clever, you're not important."

"Doctor!" Sky snapped at him and when their eyes met she glared at him harder, gesturing to Donna.

"This friend of yours. Just before she left, did she punch you in the face?" This time Donna was the one to snap at him as she yelled. "Stop bleeping me! Really? You chose to marry him?" Donna looked at Sky with wide eyes but the lady Time Lord just laughed.

"What kind of secretary?" she spoke through her chuckles, noticing the Doctor's disheartened look. But he deserved it after being so insensitive. He was always the loud mouthed one, where she was quieter and more understanding and sensitive, the Doctor just said what he was thinking. It wasn't a bad thing...most of the time.

"I'm at HC Clements. It's where I met Lance. I was temping." They both noticed Donna's smile grow as she thought about Lance again and started her story. "I mean, it was all a bit posh really. I'd spent the last two years at a double glazing firm. Well, I thought I'm never going to fit in here. And then he made me a coffee. I mean, that just doesn't happen. Nobody gets the secretaries a coffee." Sky and the Doctor both watched intently as she explained. "And Lance, he's the head of HR! He don't need to bother with me. But he was nice, he was funny. And it turns out he thought everyone else was really snotty too. So that's how it started, me and him. One cup of coffee. That was it."

Sky was smiling, but the Doctors face had turned into a frown. She couldn't help it though, hearing how two people met was always nice. Especially when they made people happy, and judging by Donna's grin and dopey eyes she was definitely happy.

"When was this?" He asked.

"Six months ago."

"Bit quick to get married." Sky spoke before she realised what she was saying.

"Well..." Donna trailed off a bit, avoiding the other woman's eyes. "He insisted. And he nagged, and he nagged me." Sky was smirking the more Donna spoke, knowing it probably wasn't that way at all. No man was like that, human or Time Lord.

"Huh? Remind you of anyone?" Sky felt the hushed voice in her ear and swatter him away with a smirk. She knew he was teasing, she was nothing like that. If anything he was the one who was slightly more eager for them to bond, but as she said before, he was nowhere near the begging level like Donna was explaining.

"And he just wore me down. And then finally, I just gave in." Donna shrugged with a sigh and shake of her head, as if she really had just got married to shut the man up.

"What does HC Clements do?" The Doctor asked, obviously having taken nothing away from Donna's story.

"Oh, security systems." She jumped back to life when her mind was taken away from her Lance. "You know, entry codes, ID cards, that sort of thing. If you ask me, it's a posh name for locksmiths."

"Keys?" Sky questioned with a frowned while looking at the Doctor.

"Anyway, enough of my CV. Come on, it's time to face the consequences." Donna patted her knees before getting back onto her feet and dusting down her tasteful white dress. It was nice, very plain if you asked Sky but then most human dresses were compared to those back of Gallifrey. Time Lords were always very big on shiny and pearly things when it came to bonding ceremonies. "Oh, this is going to be so shaming. You two can do the explaining, Martian men."

"Yeah. I'm not from Mars." The Doctor tried to clarify with her again, but she was too busy off dreaming about her wedding again.

"Oh, I had this great big reception all planned. Everyone's going to be heartbroken..."

Sky had been around humans long enough in her life time to know what they looked like when they were heartbroken, and these humans certainly weren't heartbroken. All Sky really could say was that if she had walked into her own wedding reception after actually disappearing half way down the aisle, and saw her friends and family like this...Things would get mighty heated. Especially if when she arrived, the Doctor had been dancing with a petite blonde woman.

It had taken a while to get to the reception, after successfully hailing and paying for a cab this time, but once they had it wasn't what Donna had expected to be met with. Everyone, all of her guests, her mother, friends and fiancé were dancing and laughing and having a wonderful time together.

As soon as they all noticed Donna stood there, the music stopped and everyone's smile dropped. Sky spotted the Groom in his traditional suit quickly. Even this 'Lance' person looked a little surprised, Sky noticed a sort of disappointment pass behind his eyes before it was hidden.

"You had the reception without me?" Donna's voice sharply cut through any thoughts Sky might have had.

"Donna, what happened to you?" A young black man stepped forward in the crowd which was slowly beginning to gather around Donna, the Doctor and Sky. They all look surprised but it wasn't for the right reason Sky suspected.

"You had the reception without me?" The woman repeated while looking around at the large number of guessed who had previously been dancing and grinning. But an awkward silence followed...something the Doctor himself chose to break.

"Hello. I'm the Doctor." His smile was bright but people just moved their eyes from Donna to him with a strange look. "...Er...This is Sky." Deciding to avert their attention from him, they all then stared at Sky with even worse looks. But the Time Lords' attention was caught when Donna swung around to them.

"They had the reception without me!" Both of them looked awkward and made a glance towards each other before nodding in agreement with Donna.

"Yes, I gathered." The Doctor's voice was very high as he rocked on his heels.

"Well, it was all paid for. Why not?" A skinny blonde in a blue dress twisted her face.

"Thank you, Nerys." Ahh...so that was Nerys. She seemed...nice, Sky deemed.

"Well, what were we supposed to do? I got your silly little message in the end. I'm on Earth?" An older woman with a blonde bob started to practically tut at Donna. Sky recognised the tone of voice from one she had once used and had used on her. It was a mothers tone. "Very funny. What the hell happened? How did you do it? I mean, what's the trick, because I'd love to know." Then all of the rest of the guests pitched in, asking Donna this and that about her miraculous trick which she had pulled.

But they all suddenly silence when Donna's shoulders heaved and a loud sob, part screech, left her mouth. She had burst into tears...only without the tears. She was blubbering and whimpering but Sky could see through it, through 12 children you learnt to decipher between the honest tears and the fake. The Doctor however...well...one quiver of a lip and he was fooled. But that's why Sky wasn't surprised when Donna slightly turned to them and winked with a light smirk.

It was a little while later and everyone seemed to back to having a good time. Donna and her lovely, yet still not husband, Lance were both laughing together and friends and family were back to acting as if nothing had ever even happened. However both Time Lord's stood watching from the bar, looking for any hints of what could have made Donna appear in the TARDIS. They hadn't found a thing yet, all they knew was that something was after her. After her enough to send out pilot fish for her.

"You alright?" Sky asked with a frown, looking up to the Doctor as he still watched the small crowd of dancing people. He had been awfully quiet, too quiet for him and each time she looked to him, he had looked sad, or when she spoke he only hummed as an answer. "Doctor?" Sky tried again but his eyes were fixed on the crown.

'Theta!' She yelled in her head this time, sending him a stern look when he finally snapped out of it and looked at her. He had his glasses on, which helped melt past the anger which had built up each further time he ignored her but, mostly, the sadness in his eyes made her sigh heavily. 'You miss her a lot?' He didn't answer at first and looked around himself before he met Sky's eyes again.

'Is that a bad thing?'

'No.' She knew how to deal with him when he was like this. She hadn't once but after time passed of him seeing people become lost on his travels, she learnt. But no one had ever meant this much to him. In Sky's eyes and long ago when they were still back on Gallifrey, she was the only one who meant anything near that much. 'But you did all you could. There are-' She stopped thinking what she was going to say immediately and hoped he didn't search further to find out what she wanted to say. It was too soon after having found each other...but she really wanted to just say she was there. Right next to him, she was right there, the woman who had been there for hundreds of years! His bonded. But he could only think of the blonde human he had travelled with and evidently fell for. It bothered her, it shouldn't have but it would bother anyone. Maybe she should have just left him alone to get over it and then he could come to her when he was ready.

But he didn't do anything. He didn't try to get into her head or challenge her...the Doctor just slowly took Sky's hand in his and squeezed it. 'Do you remember our..." He paused and seemed to have to swallow hard to hid his laugh. Because of this, Sky already knew what he was going to say and frowned. 'Ceremony?' She could sense his smirk even before she saw it and opened her mouth to speak aloud this time.

"Why do you always have to laugh!?" Sky was teasingly yelling at him while finally enjoying the sight of a smile on his face. "It was your fault! You were two hours late!" Both could remember the day as if it were yesterday, one of the clear memories which still existed after all their years.

"I...I was not two hours late." The Doctor began to defend himself but he knew he was lying to himself. "You always did get so embarrassed when in front of a crowd." His smirk widened as he winked at her.

"Well when you are left stood in front of all your friends and family, in a great hall waiting for your so called mate to turn up for two hours, with everyone thinking he's ran away from you...yeah...it gets a little embarrassing." Sky had been dressed in her gown, after hours of prepping and grooming from her mother...all for him to show up when he wanted to. Let's just say, it wasn't sweet little glances that were exchanged through the ceremony...more like death threats.

"You never did let it go." As if she could! No bonding should start with the bride having to forgive the groom...but that was just the Doctor wasn't it? The surprises didn't end there for them. "I said sorry." The Doctor only began to laugh harder as she started to sulk. "I think I made up for it that night." His voice quietened as he threw her a look and pulled her closer to him by her hand.

'Theta!' Sky hushed at him through her mind as she held back from dropping her mouth open in shock. But he only chuckled and dropped a kiss onto her temple. '...I was still angry.' That was all she could think to say before he pulled away again with a smile. At least he was trying to move on now, Sky thought as she watched him, now with a small happiness buzzing in the back of her mind. Maybe he needed reminding she was still there, he hadn't lost everything he held close to him.

"We need to find out about HC Clements." The Doctor suddenly spoke, breaking threw her thoughts as he scanned the room again, this time with more intention. Then he walked a small bit away from her and made a gesture towards a man who was on his phone. A few seconds later, he returned to Sky's side with the phone.

The Doctor opened up the internet search engine on the phone and searched for HC Clements before giving it a quick speed up with the sonic screwdriver. They didn't have time to search through pages and pages of cover up, but the results they got in a few seconds suddenly made everything more complicated, yet also made complete sense at the same time.


	23. The Runaway Bride Part 3

"Torchwood." Sky whispered just after the words had appeared on the screen. "Why am I not surprised?" Her tone held sarcasm but she was deadly serious. Could she not get away from them for just one day? The Doctor left the bar for a second and handed the phone back to its owner, but when he turned to say something to Sky, she was gone. His mouth opened and closed a few times as he looked around him, but then he spotted her across the room with a glass of bubbling champagne in her hand acting all casual with the wedding photographer.

"So you were at the ceremony?" The Doctor could hear Sky asking the young man as he walked nearer to them.

"Oh, I taped the whole thing. They've all had a look." The man replied to her as the Doctor came and stood behind Sky, just to the left of her. "They said sell it to You've Been Framed. I said, more like the News." He laughed and nodded down the camera he was fiddling with as he found the right bit. "Here we are."

He had to replay the clip a few times for both the Time Lords. It showed Donna, all smiles, walking down the aisle. But then half way she just suddenly stopped, screamed and started to glow before disintegration into gold speckled energy and flying upwards.

"Can't be." The Doctor hummed, leaning closer into the screen. "Play it again?"

"Clever, mind." Sky looked at the camera man as he talked. "Good trick, I'll give her that. I was clapping."

"But that looks like Huon Particles." Sky's face scrunched up a little as she moved her eyes to the Doctor who was still watching the clip.

"Exactly." He whispered back to her slowly and stood up, taking off his glasses.

"What's that then?" The camera looked between them with amusement. He still thought it was just a trick.

"But that's impossible." Sky shook her head and looked across to Donna who was still just dancing happily.

"Not just impossible. That's ancient. Huon energy doesn't exist anymore, not for billions of years. So old..." The Doctor stuttered slightly and he too quickly found Donna in the crowd. "...that it can't be hidden by a biodamper!"

He suddenly took off running and she followed obviously, if Pilot Fish were coming she wasn't just going to stand there. While the Doctor ran out to the front of the building, Sky ran towards Donna and literally ripped her and Lance apart to get the woman to listen to her.

"Donna! We have to go now!" Sky exclaimed towards the bride who then just looked at her strangely.

"But why? We're having a good time!" She moaned.

But it soon became apparent that they had realised too late however, as the Doctor ran back through to the, finding the two women in the crowd with urgency. It didn't look they had time on their hands, in fact they were out of time.

"Donna, they've found you." The Doctor said to her before she could go against them again.

"But you said I was safe." Her face suddenly dropped when she realised what the two of them were actually saying. And she looked between them in disbelief.

"The bio-damper doesn't work. We've got to get everyone out." The Doctor tried to explain to her quickly, they must have been very close for how he was acting.

"My God, it's all my family." Sadness clouded Donna's eyes as she started to look around at all her family, none of them having any idea about what was happening or would soon happen.

"Out the back door!" Sky soon thought aloud when she spotted the large double glass doors which led outside and were located at the back of the hall. The Doctor, followed by Sky and Donna, took off running but there faces dropped when they saw a line of Santas already stood together outside, blocking their path. "Maybe not." Sky sighed heavily, looking through the French windows of the door at the pilot fish's plastic creepy masks.

"We're trapped." Donna stuttered almost and turned her back on the doors to look around at her family, still all drinking and dancing. The Doctor had also turned away in an attempt to try and find another way out for them but his attention was soon caught by Sky as she called out for him.

"Doctor..." Sky's voice seemed weary and quiet as she turned her head to look at the Doctor. "Why does one of them have a remote control?" She frowned, as did the Doctor when he walked over to stand by her side and look out at the approaching Santas.

"Christmas trees." He suddenly whispered near her ear before turning to look across the hall and at the few Christmas trees which were spread throughout the room.

"What about them?" Donna asked, her attention captured by the Doctor.

"They kill." Sky wanted to laugh, thinking she had heard him wrong, but the way his face stayed serious... They actually killed. Killer christmas trees? That one was a new one. "Get away from the tree!" Sky had only just been able to open her mouth to ask how they killed, when the Doctor had spread off, running around the room and pushing people back from the trees.

"Don't touch the trees!" Donna soon followed his example, but Sky stayed still by the doors letting her eyes wander across each of the trees in turn to watch for any sign of...anything strange. But then she looked back outside to the pilot fish and noticed they had stilled.

"Get away from the Christmas trees! Everyone get away from them! Everyone stay away from the trees! Stay away from the trees!" She heard the Doctor screaming again but Sky's eyes were still fixed outside. They were no longer approaching with trumpets pointed towards them, they were stood still like statues. However one held the remote more secure now and out in front of them as if pointed towards the building.

"Oh, for God's sakes, the man's an idiot. Why? What harm's a Christmas tree going to..." The main Pilot Fish pressed a button, and in an instance Sky swung around towards the trees just as the older blonde woman from before chuckled. "Oh."

The shiny red baubles from the trees floated up off the branches they had been hung on and levitated above all of their heads. Sky was frowning hard before she found the Doctor at the front of the crowd who were watching the baubles with smiles. They thought it was a show. But then suddenly, the small balls began to fly fast towards the people, once they hit something, they exploded big and loud.

It all turned into panic within a single second. People were running, screaming hiding. Sky saw that Donna was alright first, and watched as she and Lance hid underneath a table, then she located the Doctor and moved towards him. He seemed to be looking for her too as when she showed up next to him, he smiled bright at her and grabbed her hand before dragging her towards a large DJ sound desk.

They were hiding there, behind a DJ disk desk...that was until the Doctor held Sky's shoulder to make sure she stayed down as he stood to pop his head over the desk. All of the six Santas were now lined up across the hall all looking his way. "Oi! Santa!" Sky looked up to him as he tried to get their attention and tried to stand but he pushed her back down. He was keeping her safe, something he should have been doing a lot long before now in his eyes. "Word of advice. If you're attacking a man with a sonic screwdriver, don't let him near the sound system."

Without much warning, he jammed the sonic screwdriver into the DJ deck and the sonic waves produced began to make the pilot fish shake where they stood. The longer the sound was produced the harder the robots began to shake and pieces began to fall off. First was their masks, revealing the plain but sharp gold face of the robots be ether and then were the gold plates of the robotics body.

It was only a matter of minutes before all six were in pieces and spread all over the floor, lifeless. The Doctor finally allowed Sky to stand so she was next to him and they looked over the destruction. Donna and Lance were crawling out from under the table as others slowly got to their feet or made their way over to other family members, making sure they were all okay.

"What is it? What were they?" The man they'd came to know as Lance, looked around him frantically as he helped Donna from under the table. Well, he sort of helped, more of just let her grab onto his hand.

"Just stop wittering." Donna yelled when she was finally stood. "Just help them!" Sky was the first to step down from behind the DJ's desk but the Doctor stayed close behind her as she walked over to the destroyed Pilot Fish.

"Look at that." The Doctor said after he picked up the remote control from the wreckage. "Remote control for the decorations, but there's a second remote control for the robots. They're not scavengers anymore. I think someone's taken possession."

"Never mind all that!" Donna said as she rushed over to them. "You're a doctor. People have been hurt."

"Nah, they wanted you alive." The Doctor shrugged off Donna's comment and picked up one of the shining baubles to throw it her way. "Look." Donna caught the bauble as gently as she could in her hands, turning it slowly to look at it. "They're not active now."

"All I'm saying, you could help." Her arms dropped to her side as she sighed and looked between the Doctor and Sky. But Sky simple looked back at her sadly while the Doctor started fiddling with bits and pieces with the a sonic screwdriver.

"Got to think of the bigger picture." He started to scan the air around him until the sonic bleeped quietly. "There's still a signal!" He ran out of the room and with a final sympathetic look to a confused Donna, Sky followed.

"There's someone behind this, directing the roboforms." The Doctor was still scanning the air outside of the reception hall when she caught up to him. He didn't even check she was there with him when he spoke.

"What does it want with Donna?" Sky asked, but only a moments later the bride herself ran out of the hall and into the winter sunshine.

"Yeah! Why is it me? What have I done?"

"If we find the controller, we'll find that out." The Doctor gave the only answer he could give her right now, because they still honestly didn't know. "Ooo! It's up there. Something in the sky." The Doctor raised his screwdriver to point up at the Sky as he squinted. Both Donna and Sky also look up at the Sky but there was nothing to see...just...sky.

Then ambulance started to arrive, pulling up in front of them one by one until there were about three or four liven up against the pavement.

"I've lost the signal." The Doctor dropped his hand but neither woman knew if he was speaking to a particular one of them or both. "Donna, we've got to get to your office. HC Clements. I think that's where it all started." Lance soon showed himself, having followed Donna out of the building. However the Doctor soon got his attention before he could approach Donna. "Lance! Is it Lance? Lance, can you give me a lift?"

They got to the office of HC Clements in due time, although it was a little awkward with Lance driving them...as soon as they reached the over sized office for what they were however, Donna led them to her regular desk and the Doctor set to work scanning through the files and existing system.

"To you lot this might just be a locksmiths, but H C Clements was brought up twenty three years ago by the Torchwood Institute." Twenty three years was a long time, especially so sideline what they had done with the Cybermen in such a short amount of time.

"Who are they?" Donna was the first to ask.

"They were behind the battle of Canary Wharf." Both Sky and the Doctor looked at Donna with a long pause when she just give them a blank look and shrugged. "Cyberman invasion." She thought for a bit, but then shook her head quickly with a pouted lip. "Skies over London full of Daleks?" The Doctor tried once more.

"Oh, I was in Spain." Donna finally hummed, nodding her head.

"They had Cybermen in Spain." Sky told her wide eyed, that's sort of how she had felt when she was human though. Even when she'd saw gran...that family's gran with no face...she'd wanted to look past it and not register it. Her brain hadn't really taken it in. That was the fob watch doing that though, with Donna...

"Scuba diving?" She see ended to ask Sky as though it were obvious and the Time Lady had to chuckle a little.

"That big picture, Donna. You keep on missing it." The Doctor shook his head to get past the short conversation and turned his concentration back to the computer. "Torchwood was destroyed, but HC Clements stayed in business. I think someone else came in and took over the operation."

"But what do they want with me?"

"Somehow you've been dosed with Huon energy. And that's a problem, because Huon energy hasn't existed since the Dark Times. The only place you'd find a Huon particle now is a remnant in the heart of the Tardis." The Doctor started to explain before realising he should probably put it into terms that Donna would understand. "See? That's what happened. Say, that's the Tardis." The Doctor picked up a coffee mug from Donna's desk. "And that's you." He said after finding a pencil amongst the mess. "The particles inside you activated. The two sets of particles magnetised and whap..." He shook the mug in one hand and the pencil in the other and then dropped the pencil into the mug. "You were pulled inside the Tardis."

"I'm a pencil inside a mug?" Donna asked him with a very plain face. She was amusing, Sky liked her. Reminded her of an old friend she once had in the Academy.

"Yes, you are. 4H. Sums you up." The Doctor said too quickly for Donna to respond to and swung around to Lance who was stood off to the side. "Lance? What was HC Clements working on? Anything top secret? Special operations? Do not enter?"he was talking very quickly now, which could only mean one thing. He was getting too excited.

"I don't know, I'm in charge of personnel." The young man began by shrugging his shoulders heavily. "I wasn't project manager. Why am I even explaining myself? What the hell are we talking about?"

The Doctor quickly hit a button on the keyboard and from where Sky was stood behind him, she saw the plans for the building show up on the computer screen. "They make keys, that's the point. And look at this. We're on the third floor." He pointed to the digital blue prints but then stood from his chair suddenly and walked off, they were obviously expected to follow bust she was the first to and the newly weds...ish followed. "Underneath reception, there's a basement, yes? Then how come when you look on the lift, there's a button marked lower basement? There's a whole floor which doesn't exist on the official plans. So what's down there, then?"

"Are you telling me this building's got a secret floor?" Sky smirked as she passed the Doctor to stand in the elevator.

"No, I'm showing you this building's got a secret floor." The Doctor smirked back at her and joined Sky in the lift, holding the door open for the other two.

"It needs a key." Donna pointed out.

"I don't." After simply buzzing the button with the sonic, the key holed turned almost by himself. "Right then. Thanks, you two." The Doctor pocketed the sonic and then looked at Donna and Lance. "We can handle this. See you later."

"No chance, Martian." Donna shouted and marched past him to stand by Sky's side in the lift. "You're the people who keep saving my life. I ain't letting either of you out of my sight. Lance?" Donna turned to her fiancé with a stern look, The Doctor recognised it and a man could never disagree with it.

"Maybe I should go to the police..." Lance stammered, pointing a finger out behind him and taking a couple of steps back, until Donna had her say again.

"Inside." She shouted, not giving him a second look. And he got inside the lift a few seconds later after clearing his throat.

"To honour and obey?" The Doctor murmured under his breath.

"Tell me about it, mate."

"Oi!" Both Donna and Sky shouted, looking at their respective others as the lift doors shut and they started there decent to the secret basement.

When they reached the 'secret floor' however it was a little spooky to say the least. The long concrete corridor was lit up in a dusty green and it was silent. You would have been able to hear a pin drop.

"Where are we?" Donna was the first one to break that silence. "Well, what goes on down here?"

"Let's find out." The Doctor answered and chose a direction to set off walking down.

"Do you think Mister Clements knows about this place?" Lance asked as he spent a little too long looking around himself and had to jog to catch up.

"The mysterious HC Clements?" Sky scoffed, walking next to Donna as the Doctor led and Lance dragged behind.

"I think he's part of it." The Doctor continued what they were both thinking but then got a little side tracked. "Oh, look. Transport." Oh lord...Sky wanted to roll her eyes when she saw what he was gesturing towards. They were those things, those scooter things which were just a step with wheels. A Segway...please no she thoughts as the Doctor pulled out four from a small rack and handed one to her.

Once they were moving, Donna couldn't stop laughing and soon the Doctor couldn't either. Then it became contagious and Sky started to chuckle along with them,call the whole Lance just stared at them like they were mad, which the Doctor definitely was. But then soon into their little ride, Sky spotted a door marked 'Torchwood : personnel only' and she jumped off, catching the Doctors attention who soon did the same to join her.

He was the one to spin the wheel which unlocked the door, and pull the heavy slab of metal open. Behind the door was a small cupboard, and the only thing in the cupboard was a ladder which led upwards.

"Wait here." The Doctor turned back to the three others as he talked but mainly looked at Sky who he knew would be most likely to try and follow. "Just need to get my bearings. Don't do anything...and watch out for them."

"Be careful." Sky nodded. "And come back."

"A if I could get rid of you, even if I did try." The Doctor threw her a smile before her started to climb up the ladder. Sky smiled as she watched him but them listened and Lance started to have a little rant.

"Donna, have you thought about this? Properly?" Lance started, staring at Donna who was just doing as Sky did and watching the Doctor climb. "I mean, this is serious! What the hell are we going to do?" There was a long paused and Sky guessed the woman just wasn't listening until she tutted.

"Oh, I thought July." Yeah...seeing the bigger picture was definitely a big problem for her.

A few moments later they heard footsteps coming back down the ladder and Sky stepped back as the Doctor appeared again, jumping down the last few steps. "Thames flood barrier right on top of us. Torchwood snuck in and built this place underneath."

"What, there's like a secret base hidden underneath a major London landmark?" Donna asked, seeming surprised finally. Cybermen, nothing. A little secret floor, amazing!

"Oh, I know. Unheard of." He murmured and walked past her towards a door which was made of frosted glass and had a warning sign stuck to it.

"Oo, look at this." The Doctor walked in after peeping his head around the doors and stuck his hands in his pockets as he explored the room. "Stunning!" It was a laboratory of some kind, lots of tall bubbling tubes lined up in a row in the middle of the room, all performing similar tasks by the look of it.

"What does it do?" Sky asked, looking at the Doctor from the corner of her eyes as she walked over and tapped on one of the glass tubes, watching the bubbled beneath the glass.

"You should know what it does." He grinned at her cheekily. "It was your final project for your graduation."

"Particle extrusion?" Sky asked immediately, she would never forget those final frustrating years spent studying the stupid stuff.

"Yep. Hold on. Brilliant. They've been manufacturing Huon particles." The Doctor seemed to get a lot more excited very quickly as he studied the tests. "Course, my people got rid of Huons. They unravel the atomic structure."

"Your people?" Lance picked up on that straight away. "Who are they? What company do you represent?"

"Oh, I'm a freelancer. But this lot are rebuilding them." He almost growled at the back of his throat and looked at the ceiling above. "They've been using the river. Extruding them through a flat hydrogen base so they've got the end result, Huon particles in liquid form."

"And that's what's inside me?" Donna asked after having been unusually quiet for such a long time...for her. But then the Doctor turned a knob on the top of one of the glass containers and as the liquid began to glow golden, so did Donna. "Oh, my God!"

"It's genius really. Because the particles are inert, they need something living to catalyse inside and that's you." Sky slowly spoke as it began to make sense to her and all of the lessons from all those years again came back to her. Saturate the body and then-"

"Ha!" The Doctor screamed, interrupting her but grinning brightly Sky's way. "You really are brilliant." He beamed as he caught on to her figuring. "The wedding! Yes, you're getting married, that's it! Best day of your life, walking down the aisle. Oh, your body's a battleground! There's a chemical war inside! Adrenaline, acetylcholine. Wham! go the endorphins. Oh, you're cooking! Yeah, you're like a walking oven. A pressure cooker, a microwave, all churning away. The particles reach boiling point. Shazam!" He was rambling and at Donna, so Sky wasn't surprised when Donna slapped him across the cheek. "What did I do this time?" He yelled.

"Are you enjoying this?" She asked, to which he just stammered a bit. "Right, just tell me. These particles, are they dangerous? Am I safe?" The Doctor looked at Sky but she already knew the truthful answer so she shook her head behind Donna's back, telling the Doctor to lie.

"Yes." He always was a terrible liar.

"Doctor, if your lot got rid of Huon particles, what's going to happen to me?" Donna turned to eye Sky with more fear in her eyes than a second ago. "Why did they do that?"

Donna's eyes pierced Sky and the Time Lord couldn't lie to her. "Because they were deadly." Sky tried to keep her voice soft but the fear quickly consumed the bride.

"Oh, my God." She gasped and put a hand over her mouth.

"I'll sort it out, Donna." The Doctor spun her back towards him so she would look in his eyes. "Whatever's been done to you, I'll reverse it. I am not about to lose someone else."

"Oh, she is long since lost." A sudden voice hissed around them and as they all turned, the wall in front of them began to rise up. Behind it was a large room, which resembled more of a cave. In the centre of the floor was a large hole, which seemed to go pretty deep down from what Sky could see. "I have waited so long, hibernating at the edge of the universe until the secret heart was uncovered and called out to waken!" Lance, behind them, ran out of the room in a split second. Sky wanted to scoff but she held it back for Donna's sake who looked heartbroken when he ran out. So much for a husband. Above them, black robed robots stood and turned their guns on the three figures.

"Someone's been digging. Oh, very Torchwood." The Doctor cringed and tried to peer into the hole. "Drilled by laser. How far down does it go?" He asked into the air.

"Down and down, all the way to the centre of the Earth!" The same voice sounded again but there was nothing to see. The noise seemed to echo around them but there was only robots.

"Really? Seriously?" The Doctor seemed surprised. "What for?"

"Dinosaurs." So she had a small moment like she had with coronation street a while back in Jackie's flat, obviously Kit showing her films and earth tv wasn't a good idea. As the Doctor turned in almost slow motion to look at her she smiled, trying to blag it off.

"What?" He looked like he wanted to laugh, but the confusion wouldn't let him.

"Dinosaurs?" She repeated, sounding more doubtful of herself this time. Maybe some human DNA had stayed behind in her? But it had made sense when she'd first said it...like in the movie.

"What are you on about, dinosaurs?" The Doctor asked, his face scrunching up even more as he watched her.

"That film, Under the Earth, with dinosaurs." Sky didn't know why she was trying to prove her point. It probably wasn't dinosaurs...unless they had a need for Huon Particles.

"Ah yeah, that's true. That film...it could be dinosaurs." Donna perked up with a grin and pointed a finger at the Doctor as if they were really onto something. But he just looked at each of them with a face which was indescribable.

"Trying to help." Sky shrugged and scuffed the floor as she slowly walked to stand by his left side.

"That's not helping." He shook his head at her quickly.

"Such a sweet couple." The voice sounded again and Sky and the Doctor looked away from each other and into the cave again.

"Only a madman talks to thin air and trust me, you don't want to make me mad." The Doctor yelled into the silent space. "Where are you?"

"High in the sky. Floating so high on Christmas night."

"I didn't come all this way to talk on the intercom. Come on, let's have a look at you!" He pushed Sky back a bit, or at least tried to but she stood proud by his side, pushing his hand from her stomach and back to his side.

"Who are you with such command?"

"I'm the Doctor." The voice just began to laugh around them, but the Doctor stayed stern and calm.

"Prepare your best medicines, doctor man, for you will be sick at heart." The voice transported itself into the cave and presented instead across to the opposite side to what they were stood at, in the middle of them was the drilling hole. It was a Racnoss, at least it looked like one.

"Racnoss? But that's impossible." The Doctor gasped. "You're one of the Racnoss?"


	24. The Runaway Bride Part 4

"Empress of the Racnoss." The half spider half lady answered them personally finally. It was the big body of a spider, the size of the bus but the front was a woman figure. A rusty red colour which looked harmless where it stood across the room but they were deadly, a greedy race with destroyed planets with ease.

"If you're the Empress, where's the rest of the Racnoss? Or, are you the only one?"

"Such a sharp mind." The Racnoss moved rapidly, riding and falling as she peered down at them threw her completely solid black eyes.

"That's it, the last of your kind." The Doctor turned slightly towards Donna who now stared to look overcome by fear again. "The Racnoss come from the Dark Times, billions of years ago. Billions. They were carnivores, omnivores. They devoured whole planets." He explained.

"Racnoss are born starving. Is that our fault?" The giant beasty snapped at the Doctor before hissing sharply. Had they not been deadly carnivores they might have been beautiful in some weird...horrific way, but they were too greedy.

"They eat people?" Donna's voice was a brisk whisper in the air, and as he eyes concentrated squarely on the Racnoss, Sky peered above them and swallowed hard. In the weaves of thick webbing over their head were two shoes...it was a person.

"HC Clements." Sky spoke up softly, looking towards Donna briefly before returning to the ceiling. "Did he wear those, those er, black and white shoes?" Her eyes were darting about awkwardly as she didn't really know how Donna could take the news.

"He did." Donna nodded enthusiastically as a smile appeared on her face. Not the expected reaction Sky was honestly expecting. "We used to laugh. We used to call him the fat cat in spats." She laughed, but it soon fell as Sky pointed up at the webbing with her small, dainty hand to wear the shoes were sticking out. "Oh, my God!" She gasped.

"Mmm. My Christmas dinner." The Empress of the Racnoss smiled as she hissed again and laughed.

"You shouldn't even exist. Way back in history, the fledgling Empires went to war against the Racnoss they were wiped out." The Doctor spat towards the creature, but a moving figure in the shadows behind the Empress caught Sky's attention. And Donna's too apparently as the woman gasped. It was Lance.

He was standing on a grated walkway above the Empress, walking closer to the creature with an axe in his hand,chording it strongly above his head. He must have noticed both woman's eyes on him as he raised a finger to his mouth, telling them to shush.

"Except for me." The Rocnoss moved harshly, never fully stopped as she roared.

"But that's what I've got inside me, that Huon energy thing." Donna started to shout at the Racnoss. "Oi! Look at me, lady, I'm talking." She practically screamed, eyes moving wildly from between the creature and Lance who was getting ever slowly closer. "Where do I fit in? How comes I get all stacked up with these Huon particles? Look at me, you!" She made the Empress stare back at her, back facing Lance. "Look me in the eye and tell me."

The Racnoss however just laughed and smirked, watching Donna. "The bride is so feisty." Lance was creeping ever closer with the large fire axed raised higher above his head. Sky looked towards the Doctor briefly and saw the same expression she was feeling. Something felt...wrong.

"Yes, I am!" Her voice trembled terribly and her whole body began to shake as Donna watched her husband. "And I don't know what you are, you big thing, but a spider's just a spider and an axe is an axe! Now, do it!" Lance started to swing the axe down heavily but the Empress turned at hissed at him. For a moment, a single moment, Donna thought the worst and that he was too late. The axe stopped and it seemed as if his fate would be that of Mr Clements, until Lance started to laugh. That even made the Time Lords look on in confusion.

"That was a good one." Lance laughed loudly, pointing at the a Empress as she hissed with a smile. "Your face." The Racnoss laughed loudly and then looked back to the three who stood watching them closely, Donna with an empty face. She wasn't upset or crying or even angry, it hadn't hit her enough yet for that to happen.

"Lance is funny." It was all becoming clear now, to Sky anyway, she didn't know what the Doctor was thinking or Donna. But knowing the Doctor he had probably realised hours ago what was going on.

"What?" The Doctor whispered, proving Sky right.

"I'm sorry." Sky whispered to Donna, looking at the woman who's eyes had began to glass over.

"Sorry for what?" Donna only glanced at Sky for a second before her eyes met Lances again, blurry with tears. "Lance, don't be so stupid! Get her!" But he didn't, he just stood and watched Donna with a glare.

"God, she's thick." But she wasn't being thick, she really wasn't, she was just a woman in love acting hopeful towards the man she wanted to marry. She didn't want to believe the truth. "Months I've had to put up with her. Months. A woman who can't even point to Germany on a map." Sky found herself returning the glare for Donna then.

"I don't understand." The woman muttered, looking to Sky finally, while the Doctor stared straight ahead.

"How did you meet him?" He was the one to answer however, his voice low and dark.

"In the office." Donna answered simply.

"He made you coffee." Sky continued on for the Doctor, quietly speaking to Donna with sympathy in her eyes. But the bride still looked confused, her brow furrowing as the Doctor nodded slowly.

"What?"

"Every day, I made you coffee." Lance took over, sneering at Donna from his place next to the Empress.

"You had to be dosed with liquid particles over six months." The Doctor explained quietly to Donna with anger in his eyes. Sky didn't know what to think, there had always been something wrong. From the time it had taken for them to get married, to the flash of disappointment she had seen behind the man eyes when Donna had entered the wedding reception. But she never thought it would be anything like this.

"He was poisoning me." She gasped, looking at the Doctor, but there was still some hope behind her eyes. Something screaming out to let it all be wrong,crust a bad dream.

"It was all there in the job title." The Doctor looked back towards Lance and the Rocnoss. "The Head of Human Resources."

"This time, it's personnel."

"But, we were getting married." Donna cried out to Lance.

"Well, I couldn't risk you running off. I had to say yes." He began by shaking him head and laughing. "And then I was stuck with a woman who thinks the height of excitement is a new flavour Pringle." The longer he went on, the more Donna looked to be sinking back into herself. "Oh, I had to sit there and listen to all that yap yap yap. Oh, Brad and Angelina. Is Posh pregnant? X Factor, Atkins Diet, Feng Shui, split ends, text me, text me, text me." He let it all out, and as he did Sky's eyes narrowed fiercely. "Dear God, the never ending fountain of fat, stupid trivia. I deserve a medal."

"Oh, is that what she's offered you?" Sky found herself speaking out to him before she could stop herself. But she didn't fall quiet when he looked at her like Donna did, she looked him straight in the eye. "The Empress of the Racnoss? What are you, her henchman? Her sidekicks? Her consort?"

"It's better than a night with her." Lance snarled.

"But I love you." Breathlessly, Donna gave one last attempt at reaching out to pull him back to their side. If he had ever even been on their side?

"That's what made it easy. It's like you said, Doctor." He looked at the Doctor but only received a glare in response. "The big picture. What's the point of it all if the human race is nothing? That's what the Empress can give me. The chance to go out there. To see it." He didn't deserve to see it, that's all Sky could think as she looked at what he had done. He didn't even deserve to see as much as he already had. "The size of it all. I think you understand that, don't you, Doctor?"

"Who is this little physician?" The Rocnoss turned her head to watch them again.

"She said Martian." Lance nodded down to the Doctor but then looked to Sky. "Her as well, both of them."

"Oh, we're sort of homeless. But the point is, what's down here?" He was always good at avoiding question he didn't wish to answer, and drawing attention to himself. Very good at it during arguments they had like every other couple...to good at it. "The Racnoss are extinct. What's going to help you four thousand miles down? That's just the molten core of the Earth, isn't it?"

"I think he wants us to talk." Lance smirked at the Empress. "Well, tough! All we need is Donna."

"Kill this chattering little doctor man." The giant Empress spider looked down on them, both of them. "And this useless woman." Rude.

"Don't you hurt them!" Donna yelled but the Doctor held out an arm to push her back.

"No, no, Donna. It's all right." He spoke calmly and Sky felt him reach out for her hand, slowly bringing her closer so he knew she was there and near.

"No, I won't let them." Donna spoke again but both Time Lords ignored her, watching the Racnoss.

"At arms!" Listening to the Empresses orders, the Robots lined up above them seemed to awaken and pointed their guns down on them.

"Ah, now. Except." The Doctor would be lying to not admit his hearts had both skipped when he saw the guns pointed at Sky. He was supposed to be keeping her safe, but ever since swearing to do that he had only seemed to put her in harms way.

"Take aim!" Half of them focused of the Doctor, the other half on Sky. His heartbeat quicken again but he knew she was close and he had a plan.

"Well, I just want to point out the obvious..."

"They won't hit the bride." The Empress hiss again, interrupting the Doctor. "They're such very good shots."

"Just, just, just, just, just hold on." He rushed out to stop them. "Hold on just a tick. Just a tiny little, just a little tick." He was stalling them, trying to gain time even if it just ended up being a few seconds. "If you think about it, the particles activated in Donna and drew her inside my spaceship. So reverse it, and the spaceship comes to her." The Doctor began to turn a knob on on of the small Huon containers.

"Fire!"

The TARDIS began to build around them, almost appearing as fog at first but then becoming more solid as the noise of the wheezing started to sound with it and the bullets began to bounce off the force shield now surrounding them. Within a few seconds they were in the TARDIS...or the TARDIS was around them...confusing. But they were there and while Sky let out a sigh of relief and Donna looked around herself a little confused but overall devastated, the Doctor leapt to life.

"Off we go." He exclaimed and ran to the console, starting the process so the dematerialised into the Time Vortex. "Oh, do you know what I said before about time machines? Well, I lied." The doctor said quite bluntly towards Donna who looked to him with a blank face. "And now we're going to use it. We need to find out what the Empress of the Racnoss is digging up. If something's buried at the planet's core, it must've been there since the beginning. That's just brilliant. Molto bene." Molto Bene? "I've always wanted to see this." He spoke to Sly this time with a sudden bright grin. "Donna, we're going further back than I've ever been before." But the woman just nodded and wandered off to fall to sit on the grated floor.

"The beginning?" Sky questioned, looking at him with uncertainty. He returned the look but just smiled at her until she had to hold in a laugh and walked over to her. The Doctor put a hand to her cheek and looked into Sky's eyes before brushing the hand through her hair, burying in her long brown locks.

"You always said you wanted to go." His voice was a smooth whisper as he smiled at her.

"And you always said it was too dangerous." Sky laughed back at him quietly and watched as he smirked at her slowly.

"I didn't know as much back then." He told her quietly, laying a kiss on her sharp cheekbone before stepping back and letting his other hand graze her hip as he did so. "Besides I wasn't a good driver back then."

"And you are now?" She smirked teasingly and chuckled inwardly when he glared back at her in jest. But she made sure not to smile too forwardly, after what Donna had just been through it would have been rude.

"We've arrived. Want to see?" The Doctor announced when the TARDIS stilled and everything became calm. Donna turned her head from where she sat to look at him and stood when she met the Doctors eyes.

"I suppose." She murmured almost lifelessly and went to walk over to the monitor where the Doctor stood to watch what was outside.

"But...that scanner's a bit small." Sky said and raised an eyebrow to the Doctor hopefully, almost daring to make puppy eyes. "Maybe your way's best Donna." With a cheeky eye roll over to the door, the Doctor wanted to laugh at her blatantly obvious suggesting, but nodded at her after a short moment. Sky didn't waste another second and ran towards the doors with a smile, throwing them open with excitement.

"Come on." The Doctor said to Donna as he stepped away from the console and went to join Sky. "No human's ever seen this. You'll be the first."

"All I want to see is my bed." She returned as she slumped behind them but as soon as she took the spot beside Sky, Doctor standing just behind his bonded, her eyes opened in awe.

"Donna Noble, welcome to the creation of the Earth." Sky beamed widely, only allowing herself to look at Donna for a second before looking back out at the stars. The Doctor arm moved to wrap halfway around her waist just like he had used to do. His chest was close to her back, lightly grazing but not pressed together, they could feel the other and that was enough.

They watched as the large rock forms floated around in the empty space, it looked impossible for things that big with that much mass to just be hovering in mid air. It was all so...impossible it was amazing. The new sun was covered and hazy from the dust which was gathered all around it, it was like the birth of a child. Everything was so untouched and perfect.

"We've gone back four point six billion years. There's no solar system, not yet." The Doctor explained, resisting the temptation to rest his chin on The top of Sky's head. It wasn't right yet. "Only dust and rocks and gas. That's the Sun, over there. Brand new. Just beginning to burn."

"Where's the Earth?" Donna asked with a shake of her head.

"All around us in the dust." Sky answered so quickly that the Doctor had barely had enough time to think of the answer.

"Puts the wedding in perspective. Lance was right. We're just tiny."

"No, but that's what you do. The human race makes sense out of chaos. Marking it out with weddings and Christmas and calendars." The Doctor smiled at her. "This whole process is beautiful, but only if it's being observed."

"So I came out of all this?" Donna asked and final,y started to look at what was in front of her,cheering it all for the first time in reality.

"Isn't that brilliant?" The Doctor almost laughed, then a larger rock drifted past, coming out from behind the TARDIS.

"I think that's the Isle of Wight." Sky smirked at Donna's joke, but not because it was that funny but because it actually sounded like the real Donna they had met this morning.

"Eventually, gravity takes hold. Say, one big rock, heavier than the others, starts to pull other rocks towards it." The Doctor explained quietly, as the three of them continued to watch. "All the dust and gas and elements get pulled in. Everything, piling in until you get-"

"The Earth." Sky whispered breathlessly and moved her hand so it laid over the Doctor's on her hip.

"But the question is, what was that first rock?" He smiled and looked out at the hazy light for that one rock. Then, out from behind the bubbling and blurry balls of gas in the distance, a seven pointed star of webbing came into their view.

"Look." Donna said as she watched on in curiosity.

"The Racnoss." Shifting, his breath carelessly caressed Sky's neck as he moved to watch the star and a shiver ran down her spine involuntarily. "Hold on. The Racnoss are hiding from the war. What's it doing?" Sky hadn't been listening to him at first, too busy concentrating on the feeling of breath of her skin.

"Exactly what you said." Donna's voice broke through Sky's thought and she looked at the star, watching as all of the other rocks began to be pulled in, even the dust becoming attracted to the shining star.

"Oh, they didn't just bury something at the centre of the Earth. They became the centre of the Earth. The first rock." Then there was a large bang and they all looked at each other in a flash.

"What was that?" Sky asked, missing the feeling and the warmth from his hand as he stepped back from her and Donna.

"Trouble." Seconds later, the TARDIS started to rattle, throwing them about violently. Sky just managed to get the doors shut before one of them fell out as the Doctor ran back to the console.

"What the hell's it doing?" Donna yelled, struggling to stay standing as the TARDIS floor dipped and shook and seemed to twist under them.

"Remember that little trick of mine, particles pulling particles. Well, it works in reverse." He answered, running around and faffing with multiple controls, but none of them seemed to be doing them any use. "They're pulling us back!"

"Well, can't you stop it? Hasn't it got a handbrake?" Donna yelled at the Doctor and looked up just as Sky rushed over and pushed him away. He didn't drive well when he was in a panic and they needed a good driver at the minutes. "Can't you reverse or warp or beam or something?"

"Backseat driver." He shouted at Donna but looked at Sky as she started to help in, both of them running and moving around each other like a dance. "Oh! Wait a minute! The extrapolator!" He looked under the console and was ducked for a good few second before he stood back up with a large contraption in his hands. It was a surf board...a surf board? "It can't stop us, but it should give us a good bump!" He paused, listening and waiting and just when the TARDIS began to land and materialise "Now!" He slammed a button on the surfboard or...extrapolator...and they dematerialised again, the TARDIS wheezing hard.

"Where did we end up?" Sky asked, waiting to fall behind the Doctor as he walked out. She didn't knew whether he still had his overwhelming stress of her running out first,cut just to be safe she waited.

"We're about two hundred yards to the right." He said and they looked around them at the long concrete corridor they had showed up in. "Come on!"

"But what do we do?" Donna asked, following the other two as best she could, still in that big gown.

"I don't know. I make it up as I go along." The Doctor grinned, flashing a smirk at Sky who was looking at him doubtably. She remembered the first time he had just 'made it up as he went along' and it had ended up with her having to cut Slitheen drool out of her hair. "But trust me, I've got a history."

They walked down the corridor until they came back around to the Torchwood door they had found earlier. He began working on it, taking the stethoscope from his pocket and holding it to the door to listen.

"But I still don't understand. I'm full of particles, but what for?" Donna asked as she and Sky stood side by side, looking down at the Doctor work.

"There's a Racnoss web at the centre of the Earth, but my people unravelled their power source. The Huon particles ceased to exist but the Racnoss were stuck." Suddenly, Sky felt a hand go over her mouth and her arms were constricted before she was dragged backwards. She tried to yell out for the Doctor but the hand clamped tight around her mouth. In the corner of her eye, she saw another pilot fish holding Donna and inwardly groaned. Until the grip around her mouth tightened further and she smuggled to breath as her nose was covered too. She struggled,crying to get loose but the mechanical arms holding her were too strong and she felt herself starting to fade.

"Sky." She heard a muffled mumble come from Donna but it was too late as the Time Lord's fight began to slow and her eyes started to grow heavy.

'Theta...' She didn't know why she hadn't called out to him sooner this way, but as the darkness covered her eyes and she fell limp, she just managed to breath his name out.

"I hate you." Donna spat at Lance as they both hung from the webs, facing down to the floor which seemed miles away. Not to mention the hole with got blacker and darker the longer they each looked into it.

"Yeah, I think we've gone a bit beyond that now, sweetheart."

"My golden couple, together at last. Your awful wedded life. Tell me, do you want to be released?" The Racnoss teased them both. Across from her, on the small platform Donna had been stood on previously, lay Sky. She was still unconscious from the lack of oxygen the robots had caused after grabbing them. After reaching the drilling area, when Donna was lifted into the webbing, Sky had simply been tossed aside and forgotten like a spare piece, she just needed to be kept out the way.

"Yes!" They both yelled together.

"You're supposed to say, I do." The Empress laughed darkly, looking up at the two humans. But they hesitated for a long moment, each not even daring to look at the other and the empress was loosing her patience. "Say it!" They both grumbled 'I Do' just like she had wanted them too, but it just amused the beast and in no time she was hissing at them again. "I don't." She laughed. "Activate the particles. Purge every last one." Donna and Lance both began to flow with the particles. "And release!" The particles inside them seemed to gather and all together they left the bodies and fell into the deep pit leading all the way down to the Racnoss at the centre of the Earth. "The secret heart unlocks, and they will waken from their Sleep of Ages."

"Who will? What's down there?" Donna began to squirm in the webbing.

"How thick are you?" Donna ignore Lance and looked to Sky again who was still motionless. She wanted her to wake up already or at least show some sign that she was okay, but from here, Donna couldn't even see if she was breathing. Sky needed a Doctor, but even he was missing.

"My children, the long lost Racnoss, now reborn to feast on flesh! The web star shall come to me." The Empress called out to her ship. "My babies will be hungry. They need sustenance. Perish the web."

"Use her, not me! Use her!" Lance began to fuss and yelled at his 'master', eyes finally filling with fear instead of smugness.

"Oh, my funny little Lance! But you are quite impolite to your lady friend. The Empress does not approve." The web released and Lance was left to free fall all the way down into the pit where he continued his long fall down to the Racnoss children.

"Lance!" Donna yelled after him but it was too late.

"Harvest the humans! Reduce them to meat. My children are climbing towards me and none shall stop them." Behind Donna, a Robot in its cloak began to slowly climb the steps to the balcony which stood over the platform Sky was laid out on. "So you might as well unmask, my clever little doctor man."


	25. The Runaway Bride Part 5

The Doctor was revealed as he removed the robot mask and robes. "Oh well. Nice try." He shrugged and looked up at the webbing. He still hadn't seen Sky but a terrible feeling rose in his stomach when he noticed she wasn't in the webbing next to Donna. "Where is she?" The Empress began to laugh at his stern face and question, but she would have to play safely now, he wouldn't be kind or patient if it came to her whereabouts and safety.

"The Doctor man misses his patient." He didn't move where he stood, just stayed staring and waiting for an answer. "Does he hold affection towards her?" The Empress's eyes moved from his and wearily, the Doctor follower where she was looking. But his breathe caught in his throat when he spotted Sky, looking as if she had been thrown to the floor. He hair was sprawled out under her head and her lips parted. He couldn't see if she was alright or unharmed but even this was enough to make his anger sore. "I've got you, Donna!" Before he could worry too much, he pointed the sonic screwdriver up and forced the webbing to start to rip and tear. The sooner to got Donna to safety, the sooner he could go to Sky.

"I'm going to fall!" Donna screamed

"You're going to swing! I've got you!" The Doctor held his arms open to catch her but as she fell and swung across the deep pit, she was too low on the webbing and instead of landing in the Doctors arms, she hit the wall and dropped to the floor hard. "Oh. Sorry." He sheepishly murmured down to her.

"Thanks for nothing." Donna huffed and then picked herself up as the Doctor turned and sprinted down to steps and onto the platform Donna had landed on and where Sky was.

The Doctor didn't stop running until he had reached her side and he fell down beside her on his knees. She was still breathing, that was good, but he slowly rolled her head to the other side and frowned when he saw the small bruise starting to show on her temple where she had hit the ground. Cupping her cheek in his hand, the Doctor soon felt Donna come to stand behind him to look over Sky as well. He took out his sonic and scanned her quickly, oxygen starvation. She would be fine, the one who had ordered this however.

"Is she going to be alright?" Donna asked quietly but the Doctor ignored her and stood, stepping forward to address the Empress, but it was she who spoke first.

"The doctor man amuses me."

"Empress of the Racnoss, I give you one last chance. I can find you a planet. I can find you and your children a place in the universe to co-exist." He didn't want to offer that, especially when he though of the limp figure lying behind him bruise and starved. But he had to try, like always. "Take that offer and end this now."

"These men are so funny." The Empress laughed again and hissed, rolling her head around the room.

"What's your answer?" Demanding it, the Doctor watched her and hoed she would accept for his own sake.

"Oh I'm afraid I have to decline." He had tried, that's all the Doctor had to keep telling himself. He had offered her life but she didn't want it, they were still greedy and they didn't deserve his charity and protection anymore.

"What happens next is your own doing." Shallow and dark, that's all his tone was as were the Doctors eyes.

"I'll show you what happens next. Say goodbye to your lady friend and your love Doctor." The Empress teased him, laughing. "At arms! Take aim! And-" She went to order her robots to shoot but the Doctor beat her to it.

"Relax." The robots slumped, doubling over and dropping their guns so it hung by their sides. They were unarmed and harmless.

"What did you do?" Donna asked.

"Guess what I've got, Donna?" The Doctor reached into the pocket of his suit and pulled out the large remote control like the ones the robots had used for the baubles. "Pockets."

"How did that fit in there?"

"They're bigger on the inside." He turned and smiled at her as best he could threw his worry. Having to keep telling himself she was fine wasn't working, no matter how many times he reminded himself she was alive and breathing. He'd feel better when he could hear her in his head again, talking.

"Roboforms are not necessary. My children may feast on Martian flesh." The Racnoss spoke. "Starting with the girl." Her eyes focused on Sky.

"Oh, but we're not from Mars." He pointed out with a pouted lip.

"Then where?"

"My home planet is far away and long since gone. But its name lives on." The Doctors eyes focused on the Empress as his face fell. "Gallifrey." Instantly the Racnoss roared with anger, her body moving wildly as she showed her sharp, dagger like teeth.

"They murdered the Racnoss!"

"I warned you. You did this." The Doctor took some of the red baubles form the Christmas tree at Donna's resection out of his next pocket and held them in one hand, the remote in the other.

"No! No! Don't! No!" The Racnoss stopped laughing then, and turned to begging, just like She had wanted Donna and Lance to do just before his death. The Doctor threw the baubles into the air and then started to direct them with the remote control. Some he used to damage and create holes in the wall, letting the Thames flood in, the rest of the explosives flew around the Empress.

Fire broke out around them all, walls broke more under the pressure of the water coming in and whirling around, down the pit like a plug hole. It seemed to rain down on them heavily too, soaking through his suit and slicking his hair back. Devastation was all around and the Doctor turned just for a second to check on Sky, but she was still in the same position, still unconscious and soaked. She wouldn't want this, she would hate to see any of this. So for the first time he found himself hoping she would stay asleep just a little longer. Then the Racnoss children began to scream and their please as they drown echoed up the pit and around the drilling site.

"No! No! My children! No! My children! My children!" The Empress screamed in pain and anger as the fire surrounded her more.

'Theta?' The voice calling in his head, startled him and he turned them, remote still in hand and look to Sky. She was sat up slightly but still on the floor and she was looking up at him through sad eyes. The Doctor looked back to her but couldn't meet her eyes, he didn't want her to watch him cause this. 'You can stop now.'

"My children!" The Empress roared behind them again, but Sky didn't look past the Doctor. She only watched as he dropped the remote on the floor and walked over to her. Both of them were soaked down to the bone, Sky's hair stuck to her face and her t-shirt clinging to her skin.

"Come on." He whispered and bent to help her off the ground, but when she stumbled from her head still being light and dizzy, he picked her up completely and ignored all of her protests to put her down. "Time I got you out." The Doctor spoke into her ear and then looked to Donna who was still staring at the destruction in sadness and shock. "You too." Together, they started to climb the stairs to get back to where the TARDIS was. But by the time they had only reached the second flight of stairs, Sky had laid her head against the Doctors shoulder and drifted back off, allowing the blur in her head to take over her.

"But what about the Empress?" Donna asked as she followed behind the Doctor.

"She's used up all her Huon energy. She's defenceless!" They reached the TARDIS and Donna waited outside as the Doctor carried Sky in and walked to his room. It was a large room but plain, empty of trinkets and memories like all the other rooms were, but in the centre against the back wall was a large bed with soft sheets which were completely untouched. He barely slept, not unless he needed to, for each time he awoke he'd expect someone to be there, even after years and years of being alone.

He laid her down on the bed and ran a hand through Sky's hair when she stirred lightly but then seemed to bury herself further into the sheets.

"I'll be back soon." He spoke gently just incase she was awake in anyway, and then dropped a kiss onto her temple. The Doctor watched as she gently smiled and he stepped away, walking until he met with Donna again outside the TARDIS.

"Is she okay?" The woman asked with a light smile as the Doctor closed the door behind him.

"Yeah." He returned the smile but then looked to the door, behind which was the ladder leading to the top of the Thames barrier. "This way." They climbed the ladder and when they reached the top, they stood together looking across at London as large tanks shot at the webbed star in the sky.

"Just there's one problem." Donna spoke, trying to lighten the mood as they watched the Rocnoss fall

"What is that?" He asked.

"We've drained the Thames." It was only then that the Doctor looked around them and found the river really was empty. Well...that was a problem which would have to fix itself. He had bigger things to worry about now.

"We should get back." He nodded to himself and looked at Donna, but he found her watching him with a smirk. "What?"

"Get back for what? A certain someone?" Donna laughed for the first time in a long while, a long while for her anyway, when the Doctor avoided her eyes and began to blush lightly. "Missing her already?" If only she knew, the Doctor thought as he let a smirk escape out across his lips. After all these years he just wanted to be near her, be able to see her and talk to her and touch her to make sure it was real and she was actually there. But things didn't still seem right, even after they had talked and after that kiss...he really wanted to feel like he could go back and lay down next to her and hold her like all those times he had before, every night. But not yet.

"It's complicated." That was all he said to Donna before looking back to the ladder. "Come on, home time."

By the time they reached the TARDIS again, Donna and the Doctor had stood around the console but she had smirked as he fidgeted and kept looking back over his shoulder towards the door leading to his room. She had let him sweat, seeing if he would actually ask to leave, until she had laughed and told him to go to her, to check on Sky. Telling him her home could wait a while.

That's how the Doctor had ended up in his room and lying next to her on the bed with Sky in his arms. It was the complete situation he had imagined in his head, the one he thought they and especially she, wouldn't be ready for. But it felt so right.

After he had shown Donna a place for her to clean her self up and get dried, he had quietly approached his room. That's where he had found Sky awake finally, but still on the bed with one of his books in her hand. When she heard the door open, Sky had instantly dropped the book from covering her face and smiled at him before silently holding out her hand as an invitation for him to join her.

The Doctor shut the door behind him and walked over, taking the book out of her hand and laying in on the small bedside table. They were both smiling, and as he went to take a seat on the side of the bed Sky stopped him and grabbed the lapel of his jacket to pull him down to her forcefully.

He laughed at her and shook his head, climbing over her to lie on the empty side of the bed. Sky turned on her side to face him as he laid on his back, and after a minute she shuffled forwards more to lay her head on his shoulder and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close.

"Tell me you're okay." He whispered, meeting her eyes and gently resting his forehead against hers.

"I'm okay." She smiled back at Theta as she closed her eyes and nuzzled him gently. "I promise."

"You scared me." Theta turned on his side so he could wrap his other arm over her waist. "You're head..." He trailed off and ran his hand over the small bruise, now turning a dirty green colour as it showed more.

"Just a bump, it's nothing."

"You used to say that when you regenerated." Theta laughed and started to draw patterns on her hip.

"Because you always worried too much." Lelia put her hand on his chest and felt him take a deep breath as she did, his heart beats beating under her touch. "Theta..." Her voice became quieter as she trailed off and moved her eyes so they watched the collar of his shirt instead of him. But he soon clocked on to the hesitation in her eyes and raised her chin softly. "Do you..." She began again but then chuckled at herself for feeling so nervous. "Do you-" Suddenly he reach forward and kissed her hard, more passionately than the other times but still somehow gentle. He felt Lelia gasp and smirked, both of them closing their eyes as Theta pushed her onto her back while holding her hip.

"Yes." He whispered between kisses while slowly managing to nod his head. "You know that. Even through..." Theta paused and pulled away from Lelia just enough to be able to look into her eyes. "Nothing would get in the way of that. I always will."

Lelia looked at him for a long time, seeing the truth in his words and savouring each second of silence that passed between them as she smiled. And she wrapped her arms around his neck to slowly pull him back down to her. She kissed his lips soft once but then pulled away when he leant forward for a second, however Lelia stayed close enough so that her lips still brushed his when she talked.

"I love you." It took a few moments for her words to actually register with him, they had been suggested recently but never said. But the sound of them lit up a fire in his chest and before he knew it he was grinning wide, resting his head against hers. It had been too long since he had heard the words from her, and for so long he had thought he would never hear them again.

"I love you too." Theta whispered back to her and kissed her jaw. "I have since the moment I spoke to you in those gardens." Lelia's only reply was a smile and a kiss as she pulled him back down, close to her.

"Can..." Lelia began, barely above a whisper. "We should sleep tonight for once." She started to hint subtly but Theta had to hide a smirk, already clocking onto her suggestion. It was strange, she was acting more like the shy girl he had been mates with during the Academy still, rather than the woman he had bonded with. But it was cute still, it didn't matter. If their separation mean they had to go through all the shy little stages again for a while he wouldn't complain, as long as all those moments were with her. "Could I, I don't have to but-"

"Stay in here with me?" He asked her before she was able to stutter out the end of her sentence. "If you want to that is?"

"Of course." Lelia found herself chuckling slightly and hugged her arms around him tighter. "But...maybe we should get Donna home first." He smiled but agreed with her nodding and giving her one last quick kiss before pulling himself away from her. He only did so however, because he knew he would return to it soon.

"There we go." The Doctor spoke, as they left the TARDIS, which was parked just across the street from Donna's home. "And..." He trailed off, quickly scanning her over with the sonic screwdriver. "No, all the Huon particles have gone. No damage, you're fine." He smiled at her, as did Sky as she lent back on the TARDIS, looking at Donna as she stood in front of her and the Doctor.

"Yeah, but apart from that, I missed my wedding, lost my job and became a widow on the same day." Donna sighed. "Sort of."

"I couldn't save him." Sadly, the Doctor spoke to Donna with sympathy.

"He deserved it." She replied bitterly, but after a second she looked to them and sighed heavily, shaking her head. "No, he didn't." Turning her head, Donna looked back into the house where she could see her mother preparing dinner through the window. "I'd better get inside. They'll be worried."

"Best Christmas present they could have." Sky grinned but then it suddenly dropped. "Oh, no. I forgot you hate Christmas."

"Yes, I do."

"Even if it snows?" He asked with a hint of mischief in his voice and the. Leant into the TARDIS, flicking something which caused the lamp on the top of the box to glow yellow. Then a bolt of light shot up into the sky where it seemed shatter. Only a few moments later the snow started to fall around them.

"I can't believe you did that!" Donna shouted at them, laughing and catching a few of the snow flakes on her hand.

"Oh, basic atmospheric excitation." Shrugging, the Doctor looked at Sky for a second and smiled at her slowly as she chuckled, looking up at the snow.

"Merry Christmas." Donna spoke, catching both of their attentions.

"And you." Sky spoke first, softly. "So, what will you do with yourself now?"

"Not getting married, for starters. And I'm not going to temp anymore. I don't know." Donna shrugged her shoulders lightly and looked up at the snow falling before looking around at the sky. "Travel. See a bit more of planet Earth. Walk in the dust. Just go out there and do something."

"Well, you could always..." Sky started, but trailed off as the Doctor turned his head to her. But he already knew what she was suggesting and he also knew what it meant. She herself wasn't going to come with him, she was planning on staying for a few days maybe but not for good.

"What?" Donna asked her, not noticing how the Doctors face seemed to fall.

"Come with me." He finished for Sky and looked back to Donna. He had to have expected it anyway, they had an agreement, 2nd of June 2027.

"No." It had taken a moment, but finally Donna had shacked her head and declined the offer.

"Okay." The doctor shook his head and looked down at the ground instantly. Rejection always stung no matter who it was from, but what hit him most was that he was going to go back to being alone.

"I can't." Donna tried to justify.

"No, that's fine." Shaking his head, the Doctor nodded and smiled at Donna.

"No, but really." She spoke and looked hard at the Doctor, only moments later turning to stare at Sky too. "Everything we did today. Do you live your lives like that?" Used to, Sky thought, long ago before there were any responsibilities or duties and they were young. The. He had been alone for a while but he hadn't minded it then, when he was sent on his missions. He hadn't minded because he had always had her to come home to, she was always there along with all the others, running to him when he came into view.

"Not all the time." The Doctor shook his head when the memories began to flood his head. But that's all they were...memories. Recently that did seem to be how he lived, through sacrifice and burning.

"I think you do." Donna nodded and smirked at the Doctor slyly. "And I couldn't."

"But you've seen it out there." He finally smiled, not allowing the thoughts of being on his own hold his attention any longer. "It's beautiful."

"And it's terrible. That place was flooding and burning and they were dying, and you were stood there like, I don't know, a stranger." As Donna described it, scenes from her home past behind Sky's eyes. The Doctor had obviously found it easier over time but she hadn't, to her it reminded her of the loss and the pain and the mourning. "And then you made it snow. I mean, you scare me to death." The Doctor and Donna's laugher brought Sky out of her thoughts and she soon made an effort to smile with them. "Tell you what I will do, though. Christmas dinner." The Doctor looked at Sky who looked back at him, but both of them look indecisive. "Oh, come on."

"I don't do that sort of thing." Sky was the one to answer Donna. Family meals...call her stupid but they just weren't for her anymore. That was a big, non important, but special thing for her with her family and once you lost something so dear, it was hard to want to do it with anyone else.

"You did it last year." Donna spoke to the Doctor. "You said so. And you might as well, because Mum always cooks enough for twenty."

"Oh, all right then." Sky laughed, once she finally looked up but gave the Doctor a glance from the corner of her eye. "But you go first. Better warn them. And don't say we're Martians." She joked with Donna as she turned to go back into the TARDIS.

"Yeah, we just have to park her properly. She might drift off to the Middle Ages. I'll see you in a minute." The Doctor followed Sky into the TARDIS and the door shut behind them. In moments, as Sky stood on the grated ramp, the a Doctor had started the engines to ready them to leave. Neither of them wanted to stay, no offence to Donna but they just wanted to be together and alone for the first time since everything.

But then they heard the yelling. Or screaming more like.

"Doctor! Sky!" They both rolled their eyes, but smirked wide as they looked up at each other, hearing the screams. "Doctor!" He slowed the engines and ran back to the doors, each of them pulling a door open to look out of the TARDIS and at Donna.

"Blimey, you can shout." His face cringed jokingly as Sky openly laughed at the woman who genuinely seemed to sigh with relief at their reappearance.

"Am I ever going to see you two again?"

"If we're lucky." The Doctor smirked.

"Just promise me one thing." Donna started before they could leave again and both Time Lords turned and waited for her to continue. "Stay together, the two of you. Because sometimes, I think one of you needs the other to stop you and to keep you going."

"Yeah." Sky hooded first, smiling in agreement as she looked to the Doctor. "We promise." Sky noticed the Doctor trying to hold back a shocked but wide grin but chose to pretend not to notice.

"Thanks then, Donna." The Doctor nodded his head to Donna as Sky took a step back inside the TARDIS. "Good luck. And...just be magnificent."

"I think I will, yeah." She answered quietly before calling out again as the Doctor turned to follow Sky. "Doctor?"

"Oh, what is it now?" He shouted sarcastically.

"That friend of yours. What was her name?" Sky had already walked up to the console but she had heard the question and also the Doctors answer, and the small hint of sadness that filled it.

"Her name was Rose." Nothing was said after that and the doors to the TARDIS were shut before the Doctor returned to the console, starting up the engines for the seconds time. But this time, Donna let them leave peacefully and they started to dematerialise into the Time Vortex.

With a heavy sigh, Sky turned to look at him as he worked but she smirked when she found him not working, in fact he wasn't doing anything. The Doctor was just stood there, watching her with a smile. A genuine smile that warmed her heart and she wanted to run to him. So she did. She ran to him and he picked her up and swiping her round just like he used to. Then he set her down in front of him, pushed Sky's hair from her eyes and grinned at her with a cheeky glint in his eye.

"Where do you want to go?"


	26. Memories

Lelia smirked to herself as the TARDIS dimmed the lights in the bedroom as she entered. The woman mentally thanked the machine as she closed the door behind her and walked over to the small chest of draws on the other side of the room. She pulled open the first draw and found a blue t-shirt, it would do, so shy threw it on the bed and started to take off her clothes which were still dirty and a little damp.

First was the thick carry she had been wearing for what seemed like weeks without taking it off, and then her top and her leggings. Lelia threw the top over her head quickly so she wasn't stood half naked for long. Theta was only going to finish some...upgrades...to the TARDIS and then he was joining her, she had tried to wait for him but then he had pulled out his hammer and her exhausted head couldn't handle it anymore.

But just as the t-shirt fell over her head and covered her chest and torso, the door to the bedroom creaked as it opened and Theta appeared. They both stopped, Lelia smiling at him and hoping he didn't mind her borrowing his clothes and Theta trying desperately not to focus on the amount of bare skin she was showing.

"Eh, sorry I'll-" He went to turn to leave her to get ready for bed alone, but Lelia interrupted him before he could even blink.

"What for?" She was smirking, just faintly as the left corner of her lips perked. She had noticed his blank face and concentration on anywhere but her legs from the moment he saw her. Lelia wasn't stupid and she knew him, she'd be able to spot that face a mile away.

"Eh..nothing!" His voice was almost a squeak and his hand went straight to his head, burying in his hair. "Nothing..." Theta trailed off and finally allowed his eyes to drift down over her figure as she turned to move her clothes she's just taken off, from the bed to the floor.

The top she wore, which he guessed was his, only just reached her thigh and he only just managed to pull his eyes away as she bent over to move her shoes. She wasn't just beautiful, she was the most beautiful. But she always had been to him, always. Blonde, brunette, tall, short, no matter what face she was given she had always ended up being prettier each time. Theta found himself smiling at Lelia before he knew it and he closed the door behind him, unbuttoning his jacket as he walked over to the bed.

"You didn't answer me?" Theta spoke first, catching her attention, but it took a few moments for her to look up. She had a curious expression, but she looked at him as if to tell him to go on. "When I asked where you wanted to go?"

"Oh." Lelia finally smiled and stood again to pull back the covers on the bed. "I did answer...I told you to choose." Honestly, she didn't know where she wanted to go. She didn't even know whether it was best if she stayed. They still had their agreement but she sort of wanted to stay, but first she had to let him get over Rose properly.

"I don't want to choose." Theta laughed and dropped his suit coat over the back of a chair before starting on loosening his tie and shirt.

"I want you to choose." Lelia climbed into bed and laid on her side to face Theta as he undressed but threw her a teasing smirk as she continued to shake her head at him.

"But I want you to choose." He started to slip out of his shirt and threw that over the back of the chair with his tie and jacket. "And don't say no because you know I always win." Theta pointed a finger at her and winked.

"Fine." Lelia smiled slowly and rested her head down on the pillow. "But no running!" She looked up at him seriously but Theta only laughed as he stepped out from his suit trousers and climbed into the bed next to her.

"No running." His reply was soft, and he turned on his side so they were both laid facing each other. They were both silent for a while, but it was comfortable and each of them took the time to relax and listen to the silence which surrounded them. They didn't have to think about anyone or anything, just each other.

"I would take you home if I could." It was such a strong thing to stay and it was so suddenly spoken that Lelia's eyes grew sad a little before she hid it. He was trying to be nice, she knew he was, but both of them wished he really could take them home.

"I know you would." Lelia smiled and reached across to hold his hand.

"Right now." Theta continued, this time beginning to smile. "Back to that house, with those gardens..." He tried to keep their memories of home happy as they had been sad for too long. "You could see the southern mountains from one window and the Citadel from another."

"That house you kept ripping apart." Lelia muttered, half under her breath as she looked past the Doctor with her eyes glazed over in thought. But she was teasing him, coming back to the real world for just a second to chuckle. "Every time you came home, the next minute at least one thing would be dismantles or in bits."

"Some things needed an upgrading." Theta tried to defend himself. "You would ask!"

"Ask you to fix it, not take it apart and break it more!" Lelia yelled as she laughed and threw her head back on the pillow. All she could remember was the countless times she had yelled at him over that sort of situation. "You know what this feels like?" She asked suddenly and Theta nodded for her to go on. "Back at the start, in the academy. You still remember back then?"

"How could I forget?" Eyebrows raised, Theta's voice picked up. "When you fancied me? I couldn't get rid of you."

"Oi! Other way around thank you!" Beginning to laugh, Theta dodged a hit from her hand and caught her wrist in his hand. He used it to pull her closer towards him, their noses almost touching as Theta's arm wrapped around her waist. "You use to drag me out in the middle of the night? You hadn't even passed your TARDIS exams, I don't know what I was thinking."

"Well...I was too handsome for you to say no to." He smirked and leant his forehead against Lelia's. "And charming, and...adventurous..." Theta's lips pouted playfully and couldn't help but burst out in laughter at the look she was giving him.

"Adventurous? That meaning you almost got me killed every time you illegally took me somewhere."

"Not every time...alright a few times." Her stare got harder as he went on. "Okay...almost every time." He stuttered nervously and smiled at her. Then they grew quiet again and the question she knew Theta wanted to ask started looming behind his eyes, she could see it. That little cloud of curiosity and want. "We could do all that again, those adventures, just like old times?"

"Not yet." She didn't want to trail him along, just tell him and let him accept it so they could have a nice night together. But she saw the sadness fall once more over his face as soon as she said it, so she took Theta's face in her hands and kissed him softly. "One day...like all those years ago. One day you'll knock on the door to my room and I'll take your hand and let you lead me anywhere."

Theta's hearts skipped a beat when she said that and he remembered. That first night he had went to her room while they were still in the Academy. He had only talked to her once between meeting her in her Houses gardens and knocking on her door that night. But it had felt right to him, going to see her and the look on her face when she had opened the door was a picture. Those were the sorts of memories he had turned to when he had thought everyone was gone, even her. Times like that, which were indescribable and irreplaceable and warmed his heart.

Lelia was laying on her front on the large bed in her dorm room at the Academy. The small cream lamp on her bedside table gave just enough light for her to read the book she held loosely in her hands. It was a calm night, all of her work was done for the first time in a while and she could finally relax. She had been able to play slow music and sing and take a bath, everything she had missed doing when she had once had the time. She felt good and happy...

Until suddenly there was a knock on her door. She wasn't expecting anyone, and it was even too late for inspections. The Suns had set hours ago and it was passed anyone's curfew for being out. But never the less, she got up to answer when the knock sounded a second time. It was quiet, which was why she was so suspicious but she kept tight a hold of the door handle as she slowly turned the lock and opened the door.

"Lungbarrow?" Her voice had left her before she even realised, but she blushed when he smiled at her recognising him. It was that boy, that one from her grandfathers party months and months ago. "What are- why?" She had only spoke to him twice in her whole life but now he was there, stood in front of her. It went against all the rules of the Academy. You weren't allowed out past curfew and boys weren't allowed in the girls dormitory corridors.

"Thought I'd come say hi." He had on that cheeky smile she had first noticed in her Houses gardens and it only made her blush more.

"But why?" Lelia was smiling at him now, but she hardly realised, all she could think about was how close to her he stood as he leant against the door frame of her room.

"Can I come in?" There was amusement in his voice as he asked the question, but it seemed to instantly bring her back to her senses. There was a boy she barely knew asking to come into her room.

"What?" Lelia perked, eyes wide.

"Before someone catches us, can I come in?" The man from Lungbarrow asked again, this time allowing himself to chuckle out loud but still almost silently. "I...wanted to talk to you." A sudden noise from down the corridor made both of their heads snap to the right and Lungbarrow seemed to stand straighter and become nervous as footsteps started to sound. With no warning, Lelia grabbed his hand and pulled him into her room fast, before slowly shutting her door as gently as she could.

"You could get us in a lot of trouble." Gasping, Lelia turned to look on the man who was now stood in front of her...only a few feet away...in her dorm room. His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his trousers and he was smirking at her, but he was cute as he did so.

"Could do...might do..." He shrugged and pouted his lips in thought. "Or we might not." Her heart quickened as he continued to look at her. "Did you have plans?"

"I never have plans, it's past curfew, no one has plans." Lelia laughed lightly. "Why?"

"I had a plan, I wanted to go somewhere and thought you might like to join me?" It was spoke as a question and she could tell he was waiting for an answer.

"Go where?" Lelia was frowning as she spoke, the footsteps out in the halls had disappeared but that didn't mean she wanted to start wandering them with a boy.

"Do you always ask so many questions?" Cringing, it still came across light hearted and she looked to the floor with a blush before looking up and smirking at him.

"When a man comes to my door in the middle of the night, asking me to go somewhere with him? Yeah." Their eyes met and both fell silent for a second, until he walked to her and took her hand in his.

"Somewhere secret, but you won't regret it." Shaking his head in an attempt to back up his words, Lungbarrow squeezed her hand and took a single step back. "Come with me."

"Okay." Lelia almost did a double take towards herself, it was an instant answer. But something in her gut trusted him and she could deny that she wanted to go, even if it was a deep instinct. "I'll get changed, stay there."

Lelia walked past him and took some clothes out of a large wardrobe, before she went into the adjoining bathroom and shut the door. But as soon as the door was closed, he started to snoop upon being unable to hold himself back. He scanned over the book laying on her bed first, before moving to the other large stack that were stacked on a shelf. Then he looked over the pictures on her dresser, he recognised some from her House, but not all of them. Next was some music on a small table, she had a large room, much larger than his but he had seen her home and this is obviously what belonging to a rich house got you.

Before he could be anymore snoopy, the door behind him opened and she stood in front of him in light jeans and a white t-shirt and a navy cardigan. She smiled at him as soon as their eyes met and then he held out is hand to her for her to take.

It only took a few seconds, and before he knew it this girl who had captured Theta's attention so quickly and so intensely, walked to him and took his hand.

"You sure? No turning back." He warned her but she only laughed and held his hand tighter.

"I'm intrigued Mr Lungbarrow. So I'm sure." Slowly, he walked backwards towards the door to her room, still looking at her. But then he turned to open the door and peep his head out. He put a finger to his lips, telling her to keep hushed and then stepped out, pulling her with him.

They each made sure their footsteps was as light as a feather, but the further into the centre of the Academy this man led her, the more worried she became. They passed the library and then the kitchens and then some classrooms...until they reached the more speciality concerned area.

"Where are we going?" She dared to asked, but only when she was sure there was no one around to hear. "The only thing down here is the laboratories?" Theta just turned his head and smirked quickly before he pulled her behind him towards a door. "What? We can't go in there!" He had to hush her, but he couldn't help but laugh at her. "This is where they keep the TARDIS's."

"I know." Came his short reply as he took a rickety looking device from his pocket and started to work on the doors lock.

"But the real ones...I've only ever seen the simulators." Of course, he kept forgetting she was younger. This was going to be even better for her in that case. "Why are you taking me here?"

"Just wait and see." Theta said, smirking to himself as he heard the lock snap open for him and the door shook lightly. "There, come on, almost there." He took her hand again and pulled her through the door, it didn't take long for him to guide her to where he wanted and they stopped just for a second, Lelia coming to stand by his side. "What do you think?"

"I think you're going to get me expelled." She whispered breathlessly but then took a step forward. "This plan of yours? What was it?" Lelia didn't look to him as she approached one of the living ships and slowly reached a hand out to touch it. Lelia could feel her humming under her hand, it made her smile and walk around the box slowly, trailing her hand over each short side as the excitement grew when she thought about what was inside.

"Is there anywhere you've ever really wanted to go?" Lungbarrow suddenly asked her. "A time? A place? Anywhere?"

"Maybe...but why? You can't..." Lelia's face fell as she caught on. "You can't be thinking of going...actually going?" She stared at him with wide eyes, turning away from the TARDIS finally to stare at this strange man.

"Trust me." Was all he said.

"But...but I've never...there's meant to be more than two people on a ship and I haven't even passed my exams." Lelia started to ramble as her eyes switched between the ship and the man. She barely knew him, met him twice, but he was here trying to take her away in a TARDIS neither of them properly knew how to operate. He was mad. But that pinch in her gut telling her to trust him was there again.

"Neither have I...I will though, in a few weeks. So it's fine." Theta smiled as reassuringly as he could and then took a set of keys from his pocket and walked over to a particular TARDIS. "I know what I'm doing. Trust me."

"Where did you get the keys!?"

"Sneaked them out of Professor Hearts office, I'll get them back by morning. No one will ever know." He put the keys in the lock and turned them. Even he was surprised when the door opened so easily and the lights from inside the TARDIS shone though the small crack in the door.

"Promise me?" Lelia spoke sternly, looking the man in the eye. She never did anything like this, no one ever put this much effort into her. She was semi suspicious but if he was trying to woo her he was going about it the right way too. But she needed to know she could trust him.

"I promise." He smiled, staring back at her but then pushing the door open for her to enter first. "Now...where would you like to go?"

"Even if you think I'm mad." Theta asked her teasingly as his hand found its way into her hair at the back of her neck. As his fingers began to run through it, softly pulling at it, Lelia closed her eyes and sighed.

"You are mad, you'll always be mad." Smiling, still eyes closed, she pushed her head against his more almost as if she was nuzzling him and felt his breath on her lips. "My mad and raggedy man." She didn't seem real in that moment as she muttered those words which were at one points the words he longed to hear. So meaningless to anyone else but him, but they were her words and the words he'd fell in love with on that night he'd stolen her away. A man and raggedy man. But he'd always be hers.

Soon they fell asleep after that, close to each other and concentrating on the hum in their minds which lulled them to sleep.


	27. The Parents

"I need to go." Sky laughed and tried to get past the Doctor and to the console. But he was holding her back, purposefully leaving them suspended in space.

"No." He shook his head and took hold of her arms, holding them down by her sides when she tried to reach for the hand brakes. "I'm not letting you leave." They had been up for hours, and ever since awakening they had agreed that he would take her back to London and back to Kit's where she had left her TARDIS. However, the Doctor had soon taken their agreement back once she had rolled out if bed and started to get ready. He wanted her to stay there with him for days.

"Theta! You said-" Lelia tried to reason but he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her too him, kissing her hard on the lips before she could say any more. It seemed to work cause she stopped speaking and stopped fighting instantly, but as soon as he pulled away she was looking at him.

"I said nothing of the sort! So no!" The Doctor kissed her again, and again, and again. Starting with small pecks and growing into longer, more passionate kisses. They're spent a lot of time doing that this morning, just lying and kissing, it made them grow closer and already Sky was feeling like she was ready to return a lot quicker.

"Theta." She spoke between kissed, but laughed when he wrapped both his arms around her as tight as he could and squeezed. "Stop, I have to go. The longer I stay the harder it will be."

"Then just don't leave?" He was trying really hard, but it wasn't going to work on her, the Doctor would just have to wait a little bit longer.

"I have to, for us." Lelia smiled and kissed him softly. "I'll see you again soon, our paths will cross even if we don't intend for them to." He held her closer and made her kiss him again, keeping her there for longer. Theta kissed her deeper until she sighed happily into him and put a hand on his cheek. "Theta..." Lelia's voice was a mere whisper, just breath of air.

"I can't wait to show you everything." He spoke in the same way, his lips still grazing hers as he did so. Theta wanted to take her everywhere...The Planet of the Ood, Victorian times, Mars...God even Clom would be a little exciting if she was by his side. "There's so much out there, places we never even thought of going near when we had the chance."

"I can't wait for you to show me either." Lelia smiled at him, eyes closed as she leant against him and slowly felt his arms wrap around her waist. "You've already taken me to the beginning of the Earth, what could possibly be next?"

"I don't know." Theta chuckled lightly between small kisses. "I'll think." He kissed her again. "And look around." He pecked the corner of her lips lightly. "And make a list, and when I've found the perfect place I'll come and find you."

"Not if I find you first." Lelia chuckled, but it soon faded after the last kiss was placed upon her lips and his arms slowly fell from around her as Theta took a step back. He was still smiling, but there was still pain behind it as he approached the console and pushed down the lever which would send them on their way.

"Where are you going to go?" Theta asked her first, but she was thinking exactly the same thing for him. The engines around them pulsed and the floor shook lightly but she just went and took a seat on the navigators chair beside him as he manned the controls.

"I don't know, maybe somewhere more exciting." She forced a smile. "Maybe...I don't know...Sight see a little more."

"You should take Kit to see Midnight...or somewhere that isn't Earth. Show him what's beyond What he knows." Theta suggested with a small smile, although in his head he wished it was her she was going to take with her.

"Maybe..." Sky nodded slowly. "Maybe somewhere a little more exciting." She looked at him with a soft gaze and giggled slightly at herself. "But not Midnight...that's our place." Smiling wider, her mind drifted back to her memories from that planet. So relaxing and warm and...hard to keep him sitting still for longer than two minutes. "I'll think of somewhere don't worry." Sky spoke and when the Doctor went to open his mouth to say something, she quickly cut him off with a smirk. "And yes, I'll be fine."

"You sure?" The Doctor asked, uncertainty still lurking behind his eyes.

"Of course I'm sure." She smiled gently. "But what about you, are you-"

"I'll be fine." He cut her off this time, his face stern and serious. She knew he would be safe, but Sky worried for him being on his own. He had a very bad sense of judgment when he was on his own. Someone needed to keep him grounded.

"Find someone. Donna was right you know...you need...you need someone." Guilt devoured her, for she knew she should've been the one to stay with him, travel with him. She should have been the one keeping him grounded, but just as everything seemed okay, another disaster would happen which threatened them. At first she had to get over the loss of everyone which still felt so fresh in her mind, and now he had to get over Rose. But in reply, the Doctor only nodded her way. "Where are you taking me back to? What date?"

"A month after we left, the Dalek's will still be a big thing." He answered her quietly. "Can you handle that?" The Doctor had to turn around, away from her, to manage the controls but she could still see the tension in his shoulders. He really wouldn't rest until she was with him would he?

"They're only stories right? Memories?" Sky frowned. "I already have a lot of bad memories involving Daleks. A few more can't hurt." She stood from the seat and walked to stand behind him, resting a hand softly on his back. He turned around as soon as he felt the contact and took her hand in his, pushing it down to hand by her side.

"I want you to return like this, nothing different." He spoke almost dangerously to her, holding her gaze. "No scars, no marks...no new face." The Doctor raised his hand to stroke it across her cheek. "Exactly like this."

"Same goes for you." Sky nudged her nose against his and smiled when he finally broke into a grin and held her close once more, one final time. "Raggedy man, you better not change. Not even for all the stars in the sky."

"You have my word." The TARDIS began to rattle under them, and after a small kiss he was forced to pull away from her warmth so he could land the TARDIS.

The moment for them to part came too soon once they had materialised. But both Time Lords stood there for a good amount of time, neither saying anything but watching the other. Neither of them honestly wanted the other to leave but it had to be...the right time would come for them to travel together and it wasn't now.

"Are you leaving straight away?" Sky's question was barely louder than the humming of the TARDIS. But the Doctor heard every word without fault, and he nodded slowly causing her eyes to fall to the floor. "If you ever need me, for anything, you know to call out for me?"

"The same goes for you. Just call out for me." Sky nodded slowly and took a small step back towards the doors to the TARDIS, away from the Doctor. But he took a step as if to follow her so she stopped, as he continued walking until he grabbed her hand and stood nose to nose with her.

"I love you Lelia." His eyes scorched her, they burned so intensely into hers.

"I love you too, Theta." She held his gaze for as long as she possibly could until she started to feel her walks slipping and the temptation of joining him grew. So Sky let him kiss her one final time, as his hand ran through her hair before falling to caress her arm and hold her hand again.

"Go." Theta whispered as he rested his head against hers. "Before I change my mind." He was joking, Sky knew he was, but she also knew he really wanted her to leave then and there. They had dragged it out long enough, it was time to go now.

"Goodbye Spaceman." The Doctor kissed her head as she began to pull away and held her hand for as long as he could before she became out of reach. Only when she reached the doors of the TARDIS, did Sky turn back around and send him a final smile and a wave which the Doctor returned. And then the doors shut behind her.

Inside, the Doctor waited, unable to turn away from the doors she had just left through. A voice inside his head was screaming for her to return or for him to run after her. But he couldn't, his feet were glued to the floor until a few moments past and it was clear she wasn't coming back. Slowly approaching the centre console and starting the engines...it was only a matter of moments until the TARDIS was fully dematerialised and they were separated by time and space. But he'd see her again, and soon no doubt.

Outside, Sky had her back to the TARDIS and refused to move an inch more forward until the engines sounded behind her. The whirling screams ringing in her ears and the wind rushing past her face finally made her turn around and watch as the blue box faded into nothing. In mere seconds she was just staring at the plain air she was breathing.

Sky let out a loud sigh but then looked around at where she was for the first time. It looked familiar, very familiar...in fact...

Just then the door slammed behind her and she turned around in time to see Kit running out of the house behind her. He looked the same, as most people would after just a month she guessed although he had more of a beard how and slightly longer hair, his curled looking more messy. Sky smiled wide and turned fully to face him as he stopped at the end of his drive way and watched her.

Kit was wearing dark blue jeans with a dark grey t-shirt with some faint design on it, and on his feet were heavy boots which looked scuffed up. He wasn't really saying anything, just watching her, it made her slightly nervous.

"Hello again!" Sky called out to him, her smile turning into a smirk. He had ran out to see if it was her? If so it was sweet? Bless him...he really must have been bored or lonely to do that. He didn't really answer her, but walked to her to meet her in the middle of the road on his small and quiet street.

"You're back?" Kit replied as soon as he was only a few feet from her and he came to a stop.

"Told you." Sky grinned at him. "And it's only been what a month? Not too shabby if you ask me." Kit found himself laughing at her but then suddenly started looking around her, most likely searching the Doctor.

"Where did you come from?" Kit's face was scrunched up in thought and confusion.

"I got a lift." Laughing at his confused expression, she started to laugh before she could control herself and Kit soon joined in, although she doubted he understood why he was really laughing. "Are you okay? You seem a little...in shock?"

"Yeah, just...I really...I started to think you were never coming back." The smile growing on his face as he explained was easy to spot, as was the sheepishness. "Where did you go?" The curiosity took over as he moved from staring at his feet, to watching Sky who was raising her eyebrows at him.

"Oh...its a very long story..." Leaning slightly to the left, she glanced at Kit's house before looking around her at the open street. Stories like that were best kept to private spaces. "How about I tell you over some food eh? I'm dying for some chips."

"Sure." Kit began to nod and turned back to head into the house. "By the way...that box of yours sure is a conversation starter." He quipped, throwing the comment over his shoulder and causing Sky to laugh until she realised that meant someone else must have had to of seen the TARDIS.

"Hang one...a conversation starter between who?" He didn't reply and it made her run after Kit slight, jogging behind him to try and get an answer. "You didn't go in it did you?"

"Of course not..." A slight look of distaste came onto his face the more he was forced to talk about it. "They just had...well a few questions to ask, about that and the clothes you had left around mine from your last visit. You know you really should have give me a few ways to avoid weird questions about it." Her face furrowed at that and when she caught up to walk side by side with Kit up his driveway, she asked what she was desperately wanting to know.

"Who is 'they'?" Before Kit even had the chance to answer her, Sky's concentration was suddenly caught when a high pitched voice came from the direction of the house. They both stopped dead in there place, Sky's eyes slowly moving from watching Kit, who was now cringing furiously, to the front door. There stood a woman, around middle aged, probably 50 years old? She had a neat brown Bob of hair and wore smart black trousers and a pale green blouse...instantly the worst case scenario came to mind.

"What are you doing just running out-" The woman let her screech fade away as her eyes fell on Sky. The Time a lord was wide eyed, looking back at the woman with an expressionless face. The woman radiated motherly vibes and it made Sky want to turn in run. Mothers tended not to like her...not at first...even Theta's mother had been weary...calling her a rich Brightshore snob...but anyway back to the present. This was going to be awkward.

"Mum." That was all it took to make the shiver run down her spine. "This is Sky, she's a friend." The emphasis on 'friend' didn't go unnoticed by Sky, but she didn't know how to react to that. She wanted to find it amusing that his mother had though he had a fancy friend but she wanted to frown at the thought they though SHE was the fancy friend. Erch. "Sky, this is Lizzie...my mum."

"Hi, nice to meet you." Sky was the first to perk up, walking the final few steps towards the front door to shake the woman's hand with a bright smile. "Sorry I don't look very presentable." She gestured down towards her creased t-shirt and days old leggings. "Kit didn't tell me he had guests."

"Oh it was a surprise visit really." The woman smiled at her kindly while quickly glancing over at her son. Sky bet his face was a picture, she knew a little about his relationship with his parents but she hadn't peered into his privacy. She just knew he'd be hating all this though. "We're leaving in a couple of days, just wanted to see how he was settling in."

"Oh how lovely, I wish he had told me." She really did master putting on that smile, Kit was almost glaring at her for how she was encouraging his mother to act. But even he had to admit, she was very good.

"Well I'm not surprised, he's been very adamant to keep you a secret." It was then that Sky's smile faltered and she looked to Kit for help. Oh god, they really did think she was somehow romantically involved with their son. As the seconds passed, she grew more and more uncomfortable and eventually just started chuckling nervously out loud.

"Oh well..." Sky stuttered, the only words forming in her head being that he hoped he had been secretive about her, otherwise he'd be put in a nuthouse by his parents. But she couldn't exactly say that. "There's a lot he wouldn't be able to tell you about." Kit felt the instant need to slap himself in the face, for she could not have gave a more awkward answer. She however didn't seem to realise this at all, but then she wasn't normal was she?

"Should we go inside, it's freezing out here." Kit said and stepped forward, gesturing for his mother to re-enter the house first. He held Sky back a few moments before pushing them through the door and closing it behind them. "Could you have gave a more...mysterious yet sexual answer?"

"Sexual? Excuse me but how...ohh..." Sky trailed off with a growing cringe as she thought back to what she had said. "Oops...but she probably didn't take it like that." At least she hoped not.

"Of course she did! You might as well have winked at her!" Kit began to laugh as the blush grew on her cheeks. "Please just...try to be normal."

"Excuse me! So much for warm welcomes, I am a very normal and lovely person." Sky whispered under her breath as they began walking further into the house, Kit directing them into the front living room, away from the kitchen where his mother had went. "Besides they're only here for a few more days, I'll stay a few hours tonight and then sneak off to the TARDIS for the rest of their stay." She waved her hands around the air as she fell back onto the sofa and let out a heavy sigh of relief now the weight was literally off her feet. "Believe me I could do with a few days rest."

"Are you back for a reason or..." Kit left his question open as he took the seat next to her and watched the woman, she looked tired, even more so than when they had first met. Her eyes seemed heavy but there was something else, she looked sad.

"Have you changed your mind?" The sudden sound if her voice snapped Kit out of his thoughts, but he became confused by her question. Changed his mind about what. "Coming with me, like I offered?" She seemed to read his mind.

"Oh." Kit muttered quietly. "No, no..." He didn't seem to be able to answer her clearly, he knew he wanted to go, more than anything even if he didn't quite know what exactly he was getting himself into. But she had went with her husband, he thought now...that would be it and she'd be gone with him for good. There she was though, after just a month acting as if nothing had happened. "I still.."

"Good." Sky spoke before it became too painful for her to watch him stutter awkwardly at her offer. He obviously hadn't been expecting it but she knew what he was trying to say and that was good enough. "We'll set off just after your parents leave, you shouldn't need too long to get your stuff will you?"

"Depends on where we're going?" Kit asked with a light smile, excitement growing in his eyes as he shifted in his sleep. "Where are you planning on going?"

"I don't know really." Sky shrugged a little. "But I'll think of somewhere while you continue to...entertain your guests." She began to chuckled, until Kit's mother entered the room with two mugs in her hands.

"There we are, a nice cup of tea." What was it with mothers and their cups of tea? "Can I get you anything to eat Sky? A biscuit or cake or sandwich maybe?"

"Mum." Kit spoke sharply to try and get his mum to shut up before she embarked herself and him.

"And you are staying for dinner aren't you? We're having a full dinner, it is a Sunday after all and I doubt this one cooks anything proper for himself since moving down here." Kit sounded as if he was going to decline his mothers request for her but before he could even get the first syllable out, Sky nodded her head with another bright smile.

"Of course Lizzie." The Time Lord remembered the older well...older looking woman's name. "I would love too." The young man beside her stopped himself from glaring at her and instead put on an even falser smile than Sky was giving.

"Oh good!" Kit's mother cheered as she went around the room and picked up some odd dirty cups lying around. "It's almost ready, I'll call for you both when I'm dishing out." It wasn't until the woman left the room that Kit really stared at Sky until she turned to look at him, eyebrows still raised to go with her perfect smile.

"Why?" Was the only word he spoke before beginning to shake his head. "Why...you know this means you're going to have to be normal?"

"Once again, for the seconds time now I believe! I am normal!" Sky exclaimed. "Give me one example of when I haven't been 'normal'." She might live to regret this but none the less, she was certainly more normal than the Doctor. Compared to him she was borderline perfect.

"First came up to me asking what year is was and where you were." The boy answered her in less than a second, looking at her in a very point blank manner. "Take me, a stranger, back to your spaceship..." He could go on and on but then he'd keep them there all night and he didn't want to risk his mother overhearing and thinking he'd gone mad.

"Alright alright...but still...I can be normal when I really need to be. I'm just not up to date on my current affairs. You might have to help me with that bit." Sky bit her lip nervously but then jumped back into sitting up straight on the sofa next to Kit who looked very on edge for some reason. It may have been the fact he was going to have dinner with his parents and an alien but it may have been something else. Either way, Sky was staying and he could only hope to God that she kept cool. Especially cause he knew his dad, once home from the shops, would question the woman within an inch of her life.

"So where abouts are you from Sky?" Kit's father had came home just a little while before they had all sat down to dinner. Sky was sat next to Kit on one side of the table and directly across from the older man who had not been asking too hard a questions up until now. Kit didn't even realise how even the simplest of questions would be hard for her, she couldn't tell the truth about anything almost.

"Erm...oh you know, London." The Time Lord gulped and focused her eyes on her dinner. She was normally a good lier but even since Kit had made her feel so pressured about being normal she was very focused on details she was giving. The hardest part was matching up the facts, but then, she could always tell the truth and make it...human like.

"Originally? You don't seem to have an accent?" This guy really was like an investigator. But then, in there heads she was 'involved' with there son. She'd do that to her own children's friends too.

"Erm...well my parents were from around here. My mother was...American and my father was...Irish. That might have cancelled out the London accent." Sky smiled up at the man finally but was cringing inside. American and Irish? Really?

"Oh a heritage background?" Had they all have listened carefully enough, they would have heard Kit groaning with the awkwardness happening in his own house. "What do you do for a living?" Sky thought that there might just be one spare minutes on silence where she would be able to enjoy the roast beef and mash potato in front of her.

"I like to travel." Sky felt like she could answer honestly for one however and for the first time her smile was real. "But mostly I'm...I'm a housewife I guess." She thought that was what they called them here, at least she hoped so. And this little fact may have helped to banish the idea they had of her and Kit.

"Really?" Kit's mother was the one to speak up this time. "You're married?" She looked shocked to say the least, both her knife and fork had been dropped to her plate as Lizzie took a drink.

"Yeah." Bonded to be exact, but Sky didn't feel like she should correct the woman. "He er...works away a lot of the time." She looked down at her plate again and pushed the carrots around her plate

"Oh how unfortunate. Patrick used to work away, didn't you Patrick?" Kit's father nodded. "It was hard, especially when Kit was young. Do you have any children?" It was only then that Kit started to listen too, intently, he wanted to hear her answer to this and he hoped she was honest. He'd heard her say something about being a mother before, not long after they had first met. Something about her having children that weren't exactly hers, and Kit was curious.

But when he looked at Sky he saw how her demeanour had changed, she looked sad after just a split second of being asked the question and she sunk down into her chair. But soon her trademark smile returned to her lips and Sky's eyes met Kit's mothers from across the table.

"We er...did once." A silence fell over the table, and Sky felt overly responsible for it. She should have lied, she should have just said no. But then she couldn't, she couldn't ever deny having children, she'd always tell the truth. "But that's a different story..." Lizzie smiled sadly at the seemingly younger looking woman and nodded her head in understanding.

"I'm sorry." Patrick then spoke, all the while Kit stayed quiet and kept his eyes on Sky. There was a past to her, he knew it and he wanted to know. The woman was surrounded with darkness and mystery, for wanting to go with her...he knew nothing about her. She was just this alien, who had a husband and travelled...

"No worries." Sky smiled and looked to Kit after seeing him out of the corner of her eyes. He never turned from her, not once until she looked to him, then his eyes became focused on his dinner. "It's one of the reasons I travel, it keeps me busy...and my husband."

"Where abouts do you like to travel?" Patrick asked another question, although this one was greatly welcomed by Sky as it changed the topic and received the table from awkwardness.

"Oh...everywhere." Sky grinned. "I'd love to say to beyond the stars, but sadly we haven't reached that possibility yet have we." She began to chuckle lightly and Kit as well as his father joined her but she guessed it was both for different reasons. Patrick was agreeing with her whereas Kit was probably just amused at how wrong her comment was. He couldn't wait to say he had too been beyond the stars, just like she'd said.

The rest of dinner had gone quite smoothly, small joked being given and stories being told. And when the time had come for Sky to leave, she had expertly taken the keys for Kit for the TARDIS and sneaked out of the back door. They all thought she had went home to a normal little house in London when she was really just in their back garden...in another dimension.

She was going to stay there for the next few days, thinking of a place for them to go and resting...well cleaning mostly. Her TARDIS was still in an awful state for the years it was peacefully in hibernation. Everything still worked like new but it's didn't look it, the dust had grown and settled over everything. She'd keep herself busy, Sky hoped so anyway as she didn't realise how lonely it was until she shut the door behind her and looked around the large console room.

No noise...no clattering...no Doctor. Every step she took echoed around her. She even thought she might have made the wrong decision for a while...a long while. Her eyes always drifting back to the controls, she could leave now to Paris. She could...now. But Kit...

Sky eyes also kept leaving and drifting back to the door. She couldn't leave Kit...but now she didn't feel like she could leave the Doctor either. But she'd made her choice, she still saw Lupa when she looked at the Doctor. He was just as silly, just as happy and excitable as their child.

In that moment everything seemed so hard and the weight of it all fell upon her shoulders. Tears blurred Sky's vision and she stumbled to the main console for support. It was hard, almost too hard. She could see all their faces, every detail coded into her head. But she had to carry on...she had to keep carrying on.


	28. Don't Blink

It felt like years. Actually that was dramatic...decades, it felt like decades. Even after cleaning and organising and redecorating to a certain degree, Sky had been bored. She couldn't leave the TARDIS through fear of being caught and she couldn't take the TARDIS anywhere else. For the majority of the last day she had simply sat in the console chair staring at the door, the simplest creak catching her attention only to disappoint her when it was dust moving.

She had been able to find a new outfit she liked in her wardrobe however. It was simple and a lot more casual than the Doctors suit. Dark grey skinny jeans, washed out in placed and with a zip running up the ankle on each side. Tucked in at the front, was a loose dark emerald vest top and over the top of it to cover her arms was a fitted black leather jacket. The arms of which were slim and when zipped up, the body hugged her waist. Finally on her feet were completely black high top converse. She looked...good she thought, fit for all weathers. However,chat was the tenth or twelfth outfit she had tried on out of boredom.

But finally, after three days, at 15:34 the door finally creaked and Kit walked in.

At first he thought she had gone delirious, the way she had looked up and stared at him with a goofy grin. Then he thought she was drunk as she had stumbled into a standing position. But then the smile vanished and her face became stern...and Kit realised she was just sick of sitting and waiting for him.

"I'm sorry." Smirking, the boy rolled his eyes as the TARDIS door was allowed to slam behind him and he walked up to the console.

"Three days..." Sky trailed off as she stood by the navigators chair and Kit came to a stop at the other side of the console.

"I know." He started but was instantly cut off.

"I cleaned because it entertained me." Her face cringed as she talked. "Cleaning never entertains me." Running her eyes over Kit very slowly to make him feel the most uncomfortable she could manage, she figured she couldn't really blame him for her lack of imagination. After all she had countless rooms to explore, books to read, tapes to watch. But that didn't take away from the fact that she didn't like to be kept waiting. "Anyway..." Sky finally smiled and watched the grin return to Kit's face.

"You're happy to see me?"

"After so long I'd be happy if another one of those ghosts walked through that door." As she spoke, jokingly of course, her hand pressed a lever down right next to where she was stood and then she reached across to four small switches, turning all of them on.

"I never got to ask where you had come from." Kit spoke casually and walked around to stand next to her, letting her work as he rested back on the seat.

"Not so far away." Sky ran round to turn a dial before returning to the display screen to key in their coordinates. "Still Earth...Christmas in fact. The Racnoss they were called. Probably still to come for you." She eyed Kit for a second before meeting his eyes and smirking. "I must be careful for spoilers."

The human laughed for a second before his face fell serious. "How is he? The Doctor? After..." Kit didn't need to finish, they both knew he was referring to the events which took place at Torchwood. What else would he be meaning?

"Good, I think. Better at least." Sky was relieved she was able to answer honestly. He had seemed happier, at least when she was there. She hoped it would carry on after she had left. "We'll probably end up bumping into him at some point knowing him." She was shaking her head and chuckling under head breath, but Sky felt the hope deep down in her stomach. She wanted to bump into him, she wanted to randomly land next to that police box where ever they went. But it would take a big coincidence, the fact it had happened once was strange enough...but maybe they worked like that. Psychically drawing the other close by.

"And if we were to bump into someone...anyone..." A mischievous grin worked its way onto Kit's face. "Where would that be?" His head was pointed down towards the floor but his eyes still focused on her timidly as if he was afraid of asking.

"I don't know..." A smirk slowly worked its way onto Sky's lips as their eyes met and her hand drifted over the console to hover above a lever on the console. "Let's have some fun, make it a bit random." Kit didn't say anything, only seemed to take a deep breath as Sky's fingers wrapped around what resembled a gear stick. "Hold on."

The whole TARDIS started to rattle, Kit stuck holding on to anything he could reach while Sky ran around the controls with unbelievable grace, giving that it felt as if they were caught in an earthquake. It seemed to go on for years, but as Kit's grip started to slip from holding himself upright and his knuckles started to turn red, Sky flicked the breaks back on and the rattling turned in a light quiver before stopping completely and the humming on the centre console slowed.

"Right...come on then." Flicking down the last few controls to keep the TARDIS stationary, Sky hit Kit on the shoulder as she ran past.

"Where are we?" He shouted after her, following towards the doors of the TARDIS.

"What am I psychic?" She turned her head just enough to wink at the younger boy before laughing. "Don't know yet, we have to go outside!" Sky was the first out of the TARDIS but she turned imminently to hold the door open for Kit as he walked out. "So? What do you think?" She had images of Mars or old time New York or New New Earth. He was going to love it.

"This is Edinburgh...were in Scotland." As Kit's eyes scanned city belo them, Sky's eyes went wide as she locked up the TARDIS.

"What!" Turning, she noticed they were on the edge of some sort of grassy cliff, but behind what looked like an dirty and ancient stone wall. Down below, they looked down on a large city. It looked old for the most part...they could be in the past still...it also might not have been Edinburgh...there were no major clues. There were busses driving by below, beyond the large park spread out underneath the cliff edge, and the sound of people behind them. Nah...they could be anyway. "No we're not...this is..."

"Scotland." Kit finished for her as he smiled and shook his head. Sky however was wincing as well as squinting, looking around them and trying to spot something...anything that would mean she hadn't just transported them 450 miles North.

"No!" She exclaimed and sighing, Sky walked a few steps forward. "No! It just looks like Scotland...it's...New New Scotland or..." How could she have got this bad at navigating? Or had she always been this bad? It wasn't as if she aimed for anywhere when she was searching for the Doctor.

"Nope, it's regular Scotland." She heard Kit say from behind her.

"But...maybe we're in the past or...or the future?" Anything, 10 years would be enough either way. They couldn't be in Scotland...only a random generator would pick somewhere this boring, especially for Kit who was from freaking Scotland! Behind Sky, Kit walked over to a park bench not too far from where the TARDIS had landed and looked at a news paper which had been discarded there.

"18th May 2007...well it's a few month in the future." He read out the small print from the top of the front page headlines before walking to return to Sky's side, a smug smile on his rough, unshaven face.

"Oh..." He saw the disappointment written across all of Sky's features, resulting in him nudging her shoulder softly with a laugh. She glanced at him out the corner of her eye and then smiled a small grin slowly. "Well...I've never been to Edinburgh." But then she looked at him straight on and cringed again. "Sorry."

"You do know how to drive that thing don't you?" Kit asked, nodding back to the TARDIS.

"Yes! It's not my fault!" She yelled and turned around, stopping instantly at the sight of the large castle which towered above her. Yep...definitely Edinburgh. "At least I picked a good parking spot." She grinned up at the old, crumbling bricks before looking back at Kit. "So...where do you want to go?"

"I don't know." It didn't take a private detective to work out that he was a little underwhelmed, after all she promised far off worlds and stars and excitement, not Edinburgh castle. "You like castles?" He asked with a small laugh, and she had to admit it made her smile more genuine. There was always next time.

"We can go somewhere else if you wish?"

"No, we should look around." Kit said and started walking off ahead of her before stopping when he realised she wasn't following. "You said you'd never been here after all, I'll be your tour guide." His smile was cute, and if he really was that disappointed he was hiding it well now as he held a hand out for her to take.

"Alright." Sky outstretched a hand and let his soft palm surround her delicate hand. "Lead the way."

"I don't think I've ever been...more bored." Sky moaned as she dragged her feet along the dark, dreary and damp passage way behind Kit who held a map out in front of him.

"This is what you wanted to do." He replied in a hush whisper, being a lot more concours of the people around them than Sky was. They've been wondering around the castle on a guided trip for almost an hour now, for 40 minutes of which the alien had been complaining.

"But where's the exciting stuff? The awards and the jewels and the-"

"Aliens?" Kit cut her off with a smirk.

"Exactly." Sighing, Sky stopped walking suddenly and ran her eyes around the claustrophobic space she was being led through at a snails pace. "This is a castle, I thought all old castles were meant to have ghosts." She heard Kit chuckle before he turned on the stop a few feet ahead of her.

"You've been reading too many stories." He raised his eyebrows at the ever growing stranger woman and waited while she slowly caught up to him with small forced steps.

"Can we at least have a little fun...tour guide?" She added the last park with a deep smirk and looked at him from under her lashes. She was taking the mick out of him and she was rubbish at hiding it as she bust out into giggled. "Please?" Sky added, holding the giggles back gpfound a few seconds.

"Why are you even asking?" He smiled and turned to put his back to her once more so they could both catch up with the rest of the group. "I know your going to do it...anyway." His voice faded into a sigh as he turned his head and saw an empty space instead of her. "Sky?" His voice drifted into the darkness of the corridor, was it ever going to be easy with her? He walked forward carefully, but there was no sign of her. The corridor was silent apart from the group him and Sky had once been part of, further forward. "Sky?"

"Rah!" She started laughing even before she jumped out from the pitch black corridor hidden in the shadows of the castle walls. Kit almost jumped into mid air, clutching his chest as Sky forced herself to shush and leant her back against the wall.

"That's not funny!" He hissed at her, glaring daggers her way as he straightened his back and tried to calm the beat hammering against his ribcage.

"Come on, we haven't got all day." Sky managed to speak though her giggled and pushed herself off the wall to lead him back into the corridor she had just jumped out from. She ducked under the red vented rope which guarded the sort of secret passage way and held it up for Kit to follow. It was darker than the main path, missing the small lights to help the tourists find their way. It seemed to be colder and wet, almost giving the sensation is was raining on them as droplets ran down the mossy stone walls. Yeah, Sky could definitely see why they didn't want people coming down here. It most certainly destroyed the magic feel of the castles outside appearance.

"Where are we going?" Kit asked a few seconds into their gander. He was sticking close behind Sky, so much so she could practically feel him on her back. Poor boy. He wasn't afraid of the dark was he?

"Just for a behind the scenes look, why? You scared?" As Sky was smirking, they came to the end of the corridor, faced with picking for turn right into a darker hallway, or left up a couple of steps and to a closed wooden door.

"No." Kit almost barked his reply and watched Sky take a left. He followed her up the few small steps and up to the door but they were stopped when she tried to handle of the door and it was locked. As they were both focused on the door as Sky started to fiddle with the lock with a hair pin, a shadow flashed behind them from where they'd just come from. Kit took a glance down the corridor as something blew past his neck, but it was exactly the same as before. "Why don't you use that screwdriver?" Looking back to Sky, he tapped his foot impatiently, he wouldn't admit it but this place as giving him the creeps and what if they were caught?

"It doesn't work on wood." He voice was full of concentration until they both finally heard that click of the door unlocking. "And it's not needed when I'm such a master of-"

"Crime?" Kit interrupted her with a laugh, whereas Sky rolled her eyes and pushed the surprisingly heavy door open from them to step through.

"Ooh...another hallway..." Sky sang quite unenthusiastically. It didn't seem to be that long, but then it was so dark they couldn't see ahead of themselves that much so it could go a lot further than it seemed. There were a few doors lined up along the left side of the hallway, where as the right sight had tiny windows letting in the most minimal amount of light possible. They might as well not have been there. "What do you think is in here?" Pausing by the first door they came to, Sky starting picking at the lock again.

Within no time, that second door was open and Sky was inside, looking around at the very...unsatisfying room. There was little in it and it was used mostly as storage. But there were a few trunks in the corner, they might be interesting. She wasn't a crook and she wasn't nosey but these might be things no one in the ordinary public had seen before and she could at least offer Kit that excitement. However, Kit stayed hoovering around outside the door to the room.

"What are you doing? Keeping watch?" She joked with the young boy, forgetting he couldn't see her smirk.

"That's what it feels like." He still laughed at her, and lent his shoulder against the wall, facing back down the way they had came from. "Like I'm your accomplice for something." Suddenly there was a...breeze of air from behind him, like it was created from something. The sound of something moving. With a flash, he looked behind him. But there was nothing. Just a breeze, a loose brick. He blinked. Keeping his eyes closed as he let his head turn back to look straight ahead. After a deep breath Kit allowed himself to open his eyes again, but it was sucked out his lungs a second later.

"Sky!" He didn't even think of yelling, it had just been an instant reaction after seeing a stone figure standing six feet in front of him, just behind the first door they had opened. It hadn't been there before, it count have, they wouldn't have been able to get past it.

"What?" He heard her second before her head popped through the doorway and he looked at her for a split second before raising a hand to point towards the figure. His breaths were mere short and laboured pants, something that made Sky much more alarmed in a second, her eyes growing wide.

"There's a-" Kits eyes moved back to look at where he was pointing, but it was just an empty space. The door still stood open but the other side was visible, he could see the floor drop where the steps started and the very start of the corridor should they have chosen the right turn. "There was just...a statue...a statue right there at the..." Sky turned her head just enough so she could see the empty hallway in the corner of her eye, and then looked Kit over from head to toe.

"You feeling alright?"

"Yeah, but there was something right there." He kept his hand outstretched for a few moments before lowering it back to his side and taking a shaking breath. "I swear." There wasn't even a breeze or a light there or...anything. But he had seen it, it was there, clear as day only seconds ago.

"Well...it's gone now. Calm down." Sky smiled at him and patted him on the back heavily with a chuckle before slinking back into the room agin, out of his sight as his eyes stayed planted on the spot. "Probably just your reflection or something." Sky was still smiling as she went over to a trunk she had just been about to open when Kit called of her.

"Yeah, my reflection...but there's no mirrors." He was almost close to believe her excuse when he noticed there was nothing cluttering the corridor, never mind a mirror. And it was through a had definitely been there.

"Alright, then your shadow." Rolling her eyes, Sky opened the trunk and started digging through the contents. Mostly junk, some old clothes, newly made but old in style. Obviously used by some actors to imitate old life in the castle. "Calm down Peter Pan, your shadow won't hurt you...well...just as long as we don't run into the Vashta Nerada, but I doubt they're living in Edinburgh." She laughed out loud at herself but then glanced back at Kit who she could just see outside the door. "...no offence to Scotland."

"None taken." Came his muttered reply, but it was weak. Maybe she was right,crust his shadow. It was a dark corridor and the light was weak, your brain was meant to make sense of unknown shapes right? That's all it was. He blinked. For some reason, it was more of a show the second time as he opened his eyes and the same figure stood. Only this time is was in front of the door, a couple of feet closer. An angel. It's eyes covered. Taller than him he would guess. "There is is again! Sky!" Kit looked away just for a second to make sure Sky was actually coming and then looked back as she stepped through the door way again.

"Where?" Sky sighed almost in despair and moved her eyes to look at the same spot she had just moments ago under his direction. But once again nothing stood there. Just the castle walls, as damp and as creepy as ever. "...Okay is this some sort of Human joke cause I'm not really following?"

"No! There was something right there! It was a statue of an angel! It was..." It had been there, he had seen the detail of it. There had been too much depth and detail to it for him to just have imagined it. It had been there. "But then it...it's gone."

Sky looked over the space again, checking each of the shadows to make him happy but there really was nothing. As she stepped out into the hallway however, an identical figure came into view, standing behind her, frozen in stone. Sky blinks, it's gone again without either of them noticing. "The TARDIS getting into your head can sometimes mess up your brainwaves, sort of like travel sickness." As she explained, Sky ran the sonic over him, checking for any imbalances. "Nothing to worry about, you read fine, just don't look at the sun for too long yeah?"

"Right...travel sickness...yeah." His heart was still hammering against his chest, no matter what she said, he didn't feel okay. "Wait? Get into my head? What does that mean?" Kits eyes followed her as she returned to the room, a frowned gracing his face.

"It's all normal. She'll help translate languages, speak different languages. Takes away all the hard work that comes with travelling." The way the time Lord explained it, was as if it was nothing. Like buying a packet of crisps or going for a walk. But a machine was in his head?

"Okay, that's...good I guess." He didn't really know what to say, he hadn't felt anything going into his head, was it there now? Could Sky get in his head too? It was only when he though of that, did he realise she had just 'read' him again. "Hang on, you just probed me again!" He finally smiled again and to Sky it seemed all thought of this...thing had gone. But then the smile fell and she smiled at him sadly, looking him over as he stood in the doorway.

"You okay? I can take you home, all you have to do is ask." Some people just couldn't hack it...she thought Kit could but... She watched as his frowned deepened and his only response was him shaking his head. So she smiled and lightened the mood. "I mean if you're scared of your own shadow then..."

"I wasn't scared! Just, trying to show you...it." He was laughing and threw his head back in mock frustration.

"Of course." Sky nodded again and then went back to the trinkets she was still digging through. Kit however, ran a hand over his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose and letting out a long sigh. He really did just need to chill out. But then, as he let his hand fall and subconsciously glanced to his side, his heart leapt into his throat.

"Sky!" It was even closer, only four feet away from him but this time it's eyes were uncovered and its eyes were glazed over with the stone,cut they were staring at him. Without a doubt, that thing was watching him. "Sky!"

"Alright alright, I'm coming." For the third time, Sky scrambled up off her knees and went over to the door. She wouldn't have been worried, had it not have been for the layer of sweat gathering on his forehead and the petrified look in his eyes. She hurried her steps towards him, watching him look down at the floor with a look of pain. But then she reached the door, peered around hesitantly and let her eyes roll back when she saw the same empty space she'd been presented with the past two times. "Right, that's it. We're going back to the TARDIS until your head unrattles itself." She slammed the door to the room behind her and started to lock it with the clip, only turning to look at Kit once it was locked.

"But it was right there...some sort of angel...it was..." He had a hand placed on his head and was rubbing his temple profusely. She giggled and put a hand on his upper arm but it didn't seem to do anything to sooth him, so she decided to try and lighten the mood.

"Oookaaayy. Come on Wonderland, let's get you back before you fall through the looking glass." She cackled there, actually cackled and smacked Kit on the back before slowly turning with a slightly drunken saunter in her step. But a sudden stone face inches away from her own made her jump and stop still. "Bah!"

"What the..." Kit breathed by her ear but she was too busy keeping her eyes on the stone Angels exposed teeth and hands which were reached out, only centimetres away from where Sky's shoulder had been when she was turned the other way. How hadn't she know by what Kit had been describing. It was obvious, but she just hadn't really been paying attention.

"Is that the statue you were talking about?" The Weeping Angels...what was a Weeping Angel doing in Edinburgh Castle? She kept her voice steady and tried desperately not to blink...no to look away...not to do anything to suddenly incase it meant accidentally looking away, even for a second.

"Oh so now you believe me?" Kit looked at her with a slight glare, but then he couldn't help himself from staring at the stone statue Again. It was much different to all the other times. This one didn't have its eyes covered, no was it plainly looking at them from behind its eyes. It seemed as if it was full on ready to attack them. Arms stretched out in front as if clawing out for something, it's mouth opened as if it was screaming and its teeth were sharp like razors.

"Yeah...sorry about that." Sky's voice was barely a whisper and she reached a hand back until it wrapped around Kit's own. She squeezed it in reassurance but she didn't know whether it was to comfort Kit or herself. She couldn't mess this up, she had to get them out of there.

"What is it? It's not...it can be..." Kit drifted off, unaware of Sky's eyes which were beginning to gloss over with a blurry shield. "Someone's playing a joke. It can't be alive can it?" He gave a small laugh, but when Sky stayed frightened still and quiet, his smile fell and he looked at her with a glazed over expression. "Oh my god."

"It's fine, nothing to worry about." Sky was quick to jump back into trying to be normal, her smile forced and her hands steadying by her sides. They could get out of there, no problem...she could manoeuvre them both around this thing.

"Then why is it looking at us like that?" Kit asked, unable to tear his eyes away from the face of the Angel, inched from his own. Had Sky not have turned...well only she knew what would have been their fate. "How was it disappearing?"

"They're...alien." That was the easiest explanation for it. They didn't have time for the full talk, Sky was already finding it hard to keep her eyes open, now was not the time for a long story. "I'll explain later, first I need you to try and not blink until I tell you okay?"

"Why?" Things suddenly got a lot more serious than just an off road adventure around a castle.

"Because if you blink, then we're dead."


	29. Blink and You're Dead

"What?!" Panic surrounded Kit's brain in an instant, like the realisation finally came over him like a heavy iron shutter.

"Trust me, when I say your name you blink, when I say my name I'll blink. That way one of us is always looking at it." She couldn't tell if Kit was truly listening to her as she couldn't turn her head or look at him just one bit. But she hoped he was, God she'd kill him herself if he wasn't.

"Why do we have to look at it?" Kit asked as he took a tiny step back, just so he wasn't as close to the stone as he had currently been.

"Cause as long as someone's watching it, it can't move." Her words didn't sound plausible. He could believe Dalek's and Cybermen and...spaceships flying through the sky even but this... If he hadn't have seen it appearing and disappearing himself he would have accused her of being funny with him. She was going to start laughing in a minute and tease him again. But then more seconds passed and he knew she was serious "It's frozen in stone." Sky stepped back a little so she was directly side by side with Kit and finally let go of the hand she forgot she was holding. "Now, you ready?" As Sky asked this, her chest raised before falling dramatically as she took in a breath.

"Yeah." Nodding, Kit resisted the building urge to close his eyes and focused wholly on this...angel.

"Good. Now. Kit..." She didn't know if he had followed her instruction and couldn't tell so after a few moments she repeated herself. "Blink Kit."

"I have! I did!" He shouted at her, gesturing towards the statue with a violent shake of his hand.

"Okay, I'm blinking..." As she did, Sky was surprised to feel the fear rush through her while her visions turned to darkness. But when she opened her eyes after a couple of very relieving seconds, they were still there and the Weeping Angel hadn't moved an inch. This would work. Ha! She knew she would get them out of there. "You're blinking...I'm blinking...ready to walk?" She got both of them used to the patter and rhythm a couple of times and then took Kits hand again to help guide them backwards.

"Yeah." Kit breathed the words out slowly and squeezed Sky's hand.

"We're going to step back okay? You're blinking...I'm blinking...you're blinking...I'm-" they must have only been on there third step when there was a crash behind them and a silent breeze brushed past both of their necks. Sky visibly stiffened and her face squinted up in tension.

"What was that?" Kit said straight, the only emotion showing in his voice being...well there wasn't any. He just sounded as cringey as Sky looked. Neither of them wanted to look just like neither of them wanted to know but Sky knew that if she didn't, it would soon be too late.

"I don't know." The squeak of her voice was long and dragged out as the fear really showed from her for the first time. For Sky, the outcome wasn't really that scary, it was the idea of not being able to see something which was there. Like as a child when you think a monster might be under your bed, you know there's most likely nothing there but get hearing the courage to look is too much. "Don't take you're eyes off that. I'm going to turn and look." She had to take a deep breath first but then spun on her heels quickly in order to not waste another minute. What her eyes met however, wasn't what she hoped...it was however what she had expected. "Oh."

"What was it?" Her reaction hadn't exactly filled him with hope.

"Errrrrr..." It was a hard decision. Deciding whether or not to tell him about the second angel which had made itself visible to them, now half blocking the door they had walked through at the top of the stairs. This one was more pleasant to look at though at least, with its hands raised to cover its eyes from view. But that was normal when there were more than one together, seeing as they couldn't look at each other. The loneliest wanderers of the universe, unable to look at even their own kind for if they did these be frozen in their stone case forever. "Nothing, nothing it's fine." There was no need to panic the boy more, besides she guess he already knew since Sky didn't turn back around. He wasn't thick. Which was why he wasn't taken her answer of 'nothing' seriously.

"Sky?"

"Just try not to look away and we're going to walk okay, I'll direct you." Moving slowly and carefully so that Sky's back pressed against Kit's, she squeezed his hand again but it did nothing to comfort him.

"Sky?" He didn't get an answer. Just a sharp tug on his hand as she took the first step forward and he didn't exactly follow straight away.

Together they started to take small steps towards the statue Sky was being forced to walk towards. She was weary at first, they both were, but the more time that past and the fiercer the sting came in their eyes, the quicker their steps became. They each focused so hard that there were times they could swear a part of the Angels had moved. An arm, a hand, a wing. But that truly was their mind playing tricks. For Kit, he had Sky's word they wouldn't move if he kept his eyes on them, and he believed her. When Sky was finally close enough to keep the second angel in view, she turned to face the same way as Kit again but he sighed when he saw what Sky had been focusing on.

"How many more of them are there?" They could still see the front of the first Angel quite clearly as it was still only a few feet away, teeth still frightening from that angle. But now only the back of the second was shown to them and, honestly, it was a bit of a relief. They were one step closer to getting out of there.

"I don't know." Sky shook her head slowly. "But are you ready to run?" She might not enjoy running, but it would feel good to run away from these...these erg she struggled to call them the Weeping Angels. That made them see venerable and heavenly, but they were hunters...kind hunters in some form but hunters none the less.

"Yes please." Kit nodded enthusiastically and they let go of each other to be able to turn and run as possible. Sky knew the risks but she wasn't going to let Kit know them, they should be able to outrun them...probably...hopefully...luckily.

"Okay...one the count of three." Kit found himself smiling involuntarily at the thought of running away from the stone creepers. Something about them was unnerving. The way they could move, the way they hid. When Sky finally yelled out to move, they were both grinning. "Run!"

Jumping down all of the steps in one big leap, they didn't have time to stutter on the stone, and in only a couple of seconds, they reached the corner they had turned down. As soon as they rounded the dark, sharp twist in the hallway they would have a free and straight run back onto the crowded corridor littered with tourists and everything would be fine. But they hadn't even fully got around the corner and Sky instantly realised something was blocking there path only one meter away. There stood another angel, just as tall and grey as the other two. Only this one kept its eyes uncovered, peeping over the tops of its fingertips at them.

"Ah!" Sky was the first to scream as both of them skid to a stop. "Oh I don't like it!" She flashed a look behind them but the other two angels hadn't moved. There were three of them and they were all playing games with herself and Kit. "Kit make then stop." She moaned out, carrying on staring at the other two while Kit watched the one ahead of them.

"Well actually, I was hoping you could do that." He tried to be funny, but it didn't really have the desired affect given the current position they were in. However, his small chuckle caught Sky off guard, and regrettably, she looked at him sharply with a mock glare. And by the time she realised what she had done and looked back, the other two angels had jumped in front of her, blocking them into a small two feet square in the hallway.

"They've blocked us in." Sky whispered. But she'd had enough, and now they were stuck. The hallway they were in which led back to the main tourist tunnel was narrow, and the Angels were too wide and stood so there was no way to duck under or slide past any part of them. There wasn't even a secret passageway to run down at the two angels Sky was watching had blocked the fork in the road. It was just a waiting game now,cantilever one of them stumbled and blinked. "Right! That's it!" She was sick...and when she lost her patience and got cornered she tended to...panic. "I will have you know that I am...very busy!" She pointed a finger up at the first angel watching her with blank eyes. "That's right..." Very shortly, she seemed to realise this was having no affect as she sighed, lowered her finger and leant back against Kit.

"Wow...that really eh...told them." He struggled to hold in a chuckle and had in not been for the impending doom they were in, he would have full out laughed at her. The amusement past quick however and Kit ran his eyes over the stone statue slowly. "What do we do?"

"I don't know." Sky searched around them desperately looking for a way out...a way to anything. Always keeping the Weeping Angels in the corner of her eyes, she searched high, low, to the left and to the right. But nothing. Nothing. There was only one thing left that they could do to get out of there, as much as Sky hated to admit it. "Close your eyes."

"What!?" He was right to cry out the way he did, especially after what she said about them ending up dead should he do such a thing.

"Close your eyes, it'll be fine trust me." As Sky tried to reason with him, her eyes started to water and sting, but she tried to focus on that tiny hum always ringing away at the back of her mind.

"But you said-"

"I know, and it's true sort of...but you won't open your eyes dead...I promise." Not dead just...somewhere in the past. Well, he said he wanted to travel in time. "Close your eyes." When he didn't fight back this time, Sky knew he had done as she said. Kit stood there blind to the Angels still stood around them but Sky took a few seconds before she did the same, to cling onto the Doctors connection and send out a whisper.

'Theta?' She didn't need to wait long for the hum to get louder as he focused on her in return.

'Lelia? Are you alright?' His reply was hurried like she expected to be, which was good. It meant he wasn't running around and getting into much trouble just yet.

'I'm going to need a lift.' Sky felt Theta's mood change through the connection and she wanted to cringe as the worry took over.

'A lift? A lift wher-' She didn't waste another moment for she knew Theta would just ask more and more questions and, after a deep breath, she blinked.

There was nothing to describe about the trip...of you could call it a trip? The next second it seemed, Sky had been thrown to the ground. But it was soft. And the air was suddenly clear and most crisp...warmer?

It wasn't until she heard the disillusioned moan to her left that Sky actually opened her eyes, being met with a bright blue sky above. The pain, like a bee string, ringing through her head made her want to hiss out loud but before she could, a voice interrupted.

"What was that?" Ah good, the moan was only coming from Kit. At least they're been transported to the same time. Had they not have, well, they're have been pretty stuck. "Where are we?"

"Please. One question at a time. Head...Spinning." With a gasp of pain, Sky pushed herself up to sit straight. Kit was still on the ground next to her but held his head up with an elbow resting on the sand beneath them. Hang on, sand?

"We're on a beach." They were on a beach...at least the Angels hadn't massed Kit's head up. Sky scanned the area around them, all the way out to the horizon straight ahead of her as the sea reached out as far as the eye could see. But apart from that there was nothing to see, just sand and a few dunes blocking the view behind her.

"The Weeping Angels..." Now there was no threat she could take the time to fully explain things to Kit. "They kill you...sort of. By sending you back to a time before you were born. Then they feed on all the years you should have lived in the future. You still get to live just...in the past."

"Great." She didn't know what sort of reaction she was expecting from him but that wasn't it. "So where are we?"

"I don't know." Sky was quick to answer. "But...hey at least we're not dead?" She grinned and finally turned to meet the boys eyes, grinning. He didn't seem impressed though as Kit let himself fall back down flat on the ground.

"Just stuck God knows where instead."

"Hey! We're not stuck!" She exclaimed, looking down at him. "As if I'd ever let us get stuck!"

"Then how are we going to get back?" Kit squinted up at the forever growing odder woman and shielded the sun from his eyes with a raised hand.

"You'll see, first we just need to find out where...and when we are." Scrambling up from the ground, Sky dusted the dirty yellow sand from her clothes and hair as best she could and then looked around again with her new found height. But apart from the sun reflecting on the deep sapphire waters there was nothing much new to look at it.

"And how do we do that?"

"You get up and we go for a walk. Come on, get up!" It took a few moments, but she finally managed to get Kit onto his feet. Then they didn't have much choice on where to head, there was nothing down the beach to either side, and they weren't going to swim so...

After a long and tedious climb up a sand dune and another ten minutes emptying the annoying sand grains out of each of her shoes, Sky led Kit over to what looked like a little shop down by a little sea side village. It was cute. There was a church and a couple of cottages, a post office..sweet. But old, at first glance they were maybe in the...1920's? 1910's? Mostly based on the horse and carts littering the streets.

They both entered little shop, Kit looking a little taken back as the woman in the shop stood behind a tidy bench with a bright smile and a bonnet. A bonnet! Sky loved bonnets, there wasn't really a reason behind it, they were just cute.

"Good morning Sir, Miss? Can I help you with anything?" Kit's eyebrows raised considerably at being addressed as Sir and the small hint of a smile came over his lips as he eyed the young girl behind the counter. Oh god, he better not have been one of those. She hadn't really spent a lot of time with him outside peril or problems, even through that month they watched the ghosts. And even then they weren't around others much...and the last thing she needed was to be dragging a womaniser around time and space.

"Yes actually thank you." Sky jumped in before he got to, whether he was going to or not. "You don't happen to have the date do you miss?" She was used to this, the change in style, clothing, technology, language. But Kit...he stood in awe behind Sky as she began talking to the young girl. The sight of a bonnet seemed to have amused Him as well, although not necessarily for the same reason.

"It's the 2nd of April miss...1907." The young girl smiled with a small nod of her head and a laugh. Much like the reaction she'd got from Kit when they'd first met.

"Right...lovely year." Sky smiled and started to browse the shop shelves, all the while Kit stood in the door, just listening. "And where are we? Sorry, I know it seems like a strange question,but we're wanders see. Right?" She turned to Kit with a smile

"Right."

"Right..." The young girl laughed shyly. "Of course Sir, you are in Grimsby. The little village of Longthistle this is. Just one road in and one road out."

"Longthistle? Lovely." Suddenly, a loud humming buzzed in Sky's ears. It was like something was screaming for her, yelling for her...oh. "Excuse me one moment." Managing to mutter the words quietly to both Kit and the shop girl, Sky ran out into the street and leant against the brick wall of the small building.

'Lelia?' The travelling caused by the Angels must have messed her head up, as for a second she couldn't connect to him to answer, but then the link between then built up more become less like a buzz and more like white noise as Theta screamed out to her again. 'Lelia!?' Uh oh. He sounded mad.

'...hello...' Her voice was small and weak as she reached out, unknowing to the reaction she would receive as a reply.

'What happened to you? I couldn't reach you! I-' Theta's voice was quick but she could feel the worry. He stuttered at the last thing he was going to say and for a second the hum dulled before coming back at full force. 'You didn't answer.'

'I'm fine! I'm fine, I promise.'

'Don't do that! You said you needed a lift and then you disappeared.' She did feel bad, for leaving him hanging like that. And it had been purposeful, which was worse. But she really was fine, she just hadn't expected to be unreachable like that.

'Yeah, me and Kit sort of ran into a problem...'

'What sort of problem? Are you hurt?' The worry in his voice made her cringe, Sky closed her eyes to concentrate on his voice more as she let out a deep breath.

'No! Just calm down.' He always worried too much. 'Like I said I just need a lift...I just got stuck, away from the TARDIS...' Sky paused upon telling him the next detail. But there was no hiding it from him. 'See there were these Weeping Angels.'

'Lelia...' His groan slash sigh interrupted her before she could explain any more.

'It wasn't my fault! I didn't go looking for them, they just...happened.' It was true! It wasn't if she'd said come on Kit, let's go find some creepy stone freaks to send us back to the 1900's so we have to get rescued by the Doctor!

'...where are you?' Theta was annoyed. She could tell even without seeing his face.

'Its wasn't...' She wanted to try again, to get him to understand it was an accident. But even if he believed her Sky doubted it would change his attitude. With a sigh, making sure she hid her embarrassment and guilt from Theta, she opened her eyes and looked around the village as she responded.'Longthistle village in Grimsby, 1907...near the little shop.'

'Give me five minutes.' After that, the humming faded back into an almost inaudible shiver of brain waves.

She felt stupid. She'd lasted what? Four days? Three of which were spent in the TARDIS, stationary in Kit's back garden, not doing anything. It hadn't even been a full day, they had been in Edinburgh one hour before getting into trouble. Maybe she wasn't cut out for this...travelling alone.

Between the end of the war and turning herself into a human she had regenerated twice in such a short time. Unable to keep herself out of deaths path even on the simplest of planets. And even then she drove herself into situations which ended in dead ends and splinters and scratches. Nothing had ended in too much of a disaster, she was still here after all but she couldn't hack it. That was the who,e reason she'd turned human in the first place. And now she was responsible for the life of another and Kit couldn't just regenerate...

Even when she'd travelled with the Doctor when they were just kids still, he had always been the one to navigate them and plan things for them to do. He was the one that looked after her...she was useless by herself. Maybe that's why she had decided to stay at home while he continued to travel with those humans. Those humans were a lot more capable than her. She didn't need to be told. Even Rose, she fought Daleks and...killed the Emperor! Fought Cybermen and God knows what else. Probably without the Doctors help too, whereas Sky was just a lost Time Lord housewife with no home to go back to. She enjoyed all the travelling and the excitement and she was smart enough for it, she knew the facts...she just couldn't... She just couldn't do it.

Sky went to turn back into the shop and wait the five minutes, but she'd obviously been standing there longer than she thought, or maybe he was just a little early? As the sound of TARDIS engines surrounded her and a strong breeze out of no where, pushed the hair back from her face. But for the first time, she wasn't smiling as the TARDIS started to appear in front of her. Instead her forehead was creasing with a frown and her hands were wrapped around herself tightly. It didn't last obviously, the nervousness of see Theta did, but as soon as those doors opened she was running to him. The force of her body almost knocked his back into the TARDIS and onto the floor but he managed to catch her, placing a hand on the back of her head and another round her waist.

"What's wrong? Lelia?" The Doctor tried to push her back just a little to look down at her face and to try and see what was wrong, but she buried her face into his coat so deeply and clung onto too him for him to remove her grip.

"I can't do this." Her small muffled voice came out scrambled, the Doctor only managing to just here as he concentrate solely on her.

"What?" Couldn't do what? The 1900's? She had sounded find through there link but now she looked to be holding back sons, holding onto him like she never wanted to let go. But then, Sky slowly lifter her head so her eyes finally met his and her glossy eyes shimmer with sadness and an abundance of feeling were released in her out of no where. She didn't even know where they had come from, maybe it came with the realisation that she wasn't made for this. She was made for looking after family and walking through gardens and keeping up appearances...back on Gallifrey. As the Doctor looked down at her, a hand stroking through her long brown hair, his hearts broke at what she said next.

"I want to go home."

"...Lelia." He hadn't been expecting that. Maybe for her to laugh and make fun of herself after he got over his worry and saw she was fine. Maybe even for her to be angry at the Weeping Angels...but he never thought she'd be crying in his arms wishing to go home. Something was going on inside her head. "What's happened?" Before she could answer, there were footsteps behind them and Kit appeared from around the shop door.

His presence seemed to have a light switch effect on Sky however, as she leapt up from the Doctors shoulder, wiped her eyes in a split second and spun on the spot.

"Lifts here!" It was like a different woman was stood in front of the Doctor then, but even Kit saw through it as he frowned with a smile and raised an eyebrow. "Told you I had a plan, get in." She'd always been good at that, hiding fear. Back home, after months and months of Theta being away she even hid her own worry and convinced everyone else he was fine. Being half way through her regeneration and still trying to convince him that it was 'just a stubbed toe'. She might not have been a strong adventurer yet, but she had the strongest mind out of anyone Theta had ever known.

"Call for help? That was the plan you wouldn't tell me?" He was laughing but even Sky saw the look in his eyes, silently asking what was wrong. But she shook it off and laughed along with him, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well...it's a plan that works." Sky smirked at Kit before turning to walk into the TARDIS. "Fine, stay here." And she disappeared into the wooden police box. It actually took the Doctor nodding for Kit to get in for Kit to walk forward to catch his lift back to Edinburgh.

"How long was she in charge?" The Doctor asked, jokingly of course while Sky was out of earshot.

"About an hour." The human laughed lightheartedly, faintly seeing Sky's silhouette amongst the darkness inside.

"Ah well..she's getting better." But the Doctor made sure to keep his voice low. It had been a subtle and easier way of finding out some details from the boy, relating to what she had said about not be able to do this. So she'd been on her own an hour? Or at the most a day if the boy was just exaggerating for a laugh. It didn't take a genius to clock on to what Sky was feeling but he smiled as an idea formed in his head.

"Come on." Both men entered the TARDIS to find Sky already sat on the navigators seat, swinging her legs back and forth. "So..where too?" The Doctor asked as he joined her side and started pressing random buttons to get them on their way.

"Edinburgh please...May...18th? 2007." Sky's eyes rolled up to the top of her head as she though, but then she smiled wide at the Doctor and hopped down from the chair to help with the controls. "You haven't found anyone yet?" She asked as she flicked a switch down before he could get to it and Kit grabbed a hold of the railings for support as the floor began to shake.

"No." The Doctor was quick to shake his head and ran around the console to roll, what looked like, a marble ball. But he had to keep in a smile as his idea was easier to put in place than he first imagined. "It's funny, I was just on my way to go check something out...these plasma coil things."

"Really?" Sky quirked a brow in interest.

"Yeah, nothing major but if neither of you are busy..." It took less than a second for Sky to look at him in a way that let him know she knew the true meaning behind his words. He didn't have to say anymore. But before she could take the nonchalant route to accepting the unspoken request, Kit answered.

"Nope."

"Err..." Sky swung her head around to Kit, sending him a wide eyed glare, before looking back to the Doctor who was smirking. "I guess we could spare some time, if you really needed our help." Watching the simple shrug of her shoulders, The Doctor chuckled lightly and shook his head.

"I never said I needed..." But he trailed off, over the year spent together he learnt it was easier to just tell her what she wanted to hear. "Okay...I need your help."

"Okay. Where were these coils?" As Sky asked this, the Doctor moved around the console to enter their new destination.

"Middle of London, that's why it's so strange. They're all around the main hospital."


	30. Smith and Jones Part 1

As a group of young students were led past a vending machine by an overly load mouthed senior, a casually dressed and seemingly normal woman in her late twenties hit the glass shielding the chocolate bars. If there was one thing on Earth humans had to sort out, Sky swore it was the amount of money their machines ate up.

Turning, but not after a final slam to the side of the dispenser, the Time Lord sighed and set off back towards the Orthopaedic ward. They had been here one day...well the Doctor and Kit had. She had been dismissed by the nurses after visiting hours had ended yesterday and forced to spend the evening alone in the TARDIS until Kit finished his shift and joined her. But even after such a short time, they were all getting a bit bored, the Doctor most of all who didn't seem to be able to sit in a bed for more than fifteen minutes.

"Staying out of trouble?" She asked, a slight warning in her tone as she noticed Theta's hand resting on the edge of the bed covers, ready to throw them back. After walking completely through the curtain giving them privacy, she replaced it and walked over to the chair that was placed by his bedside.

"Always." The Doctor smiled up brightly at her and patted the covers down as if to make a point that he wasn't going anywhere. The woman was like a sergeant major and seemed to be forgetting that there wasn't actually anything wrong with him. "How's Kit? Did you find him?"

"Yes and he is hating us, still." Sky nodded with a chuckled as she took a seat. "But then I doubt I'd be best pleased if I'd been forced into being a hospital porter."

"I thought you said he was making friends yesterday?"

"Yeah, all of them over the age of 80 though." Oh she really shouldn't laugh, at least not as much as she currently was. But Kit's face when he finished at the hospital last night was a picture and the stories he'd had after just one day...she had to laugh.

"I thought you were getting something to eat?" The Doctor frowned when he noticed her hands were empty, that was until she picked up another of those stupid gossip magazines she seemed to be addicted to now.

"Oh do not get me started-" Sky muttered with a little anger, but just as she raised the magazine to read, the curtain around them was ripped back and around them swarmed the same group of students from the hallway.

"Now then, Mister Smith, a very good morning to you...and I presume Mrs Smith." An older man, senior doctor or head of the hospital no doubt, greeted as he took the chart at the end of the bed in his hands. The Doctor looked up at the man with a bright grin as Sky did similar, lowering the magazine to her knees. "How are you today?"

"Oh, not so bad." His eyes turned towards Sky for a second. "Still a bit, you know, blah." They had to stay inside the hospital for as long as they could, at least until they figured out what was going on around them. But nothing was showing yet so he had to keep playing sickie.

"John Smith, admitted yesterday with severe abdominal pains." All the students began to take notes and look 'John Smith' over with peering eyes. "Jones, why don't you see what you can find? Amaze me." A young woman stepped forward and went to the other side of the bed to where Sky was sat. Dressed in a white coat, like all the other students, her demeanour didn't say Doctor yet, nor did it show confidence, just a few fumbling nerves as she took the stethoscope out from her pocket.

"That wasn't very clever, running around outside, was it?" Sky knew she couldn't leave him alone for a second, she'd only gone along to the next ward and he had skipped out the door. At least that was what it sounded like, up until the Doctor frowned honestly and deeply.

"Sorry?"

"On Chancellor Street this morning?" The young woman too looked as confused as Sky did. "You came up to me and took your tie off."

"Really? What did I do that for?" The actual hospital Doctor rolled his eyes behind the woman's back and dramatically looked at his watch, but Theta wasn't going to let her rest just yet.

"I don't know, you just did." Shrugging as she answered, the student doctor looked at Sky warily and then back to the Doctor. They were both smiling at her, but behind them smiles, brains were spinning.

'You remember doing that?' Sky send her thoughts to him.

"Not me." Sky took his answer as a reply to herself and the younger girl. "I was here, in bed. Ask the nurses, and my wife."

"Well, that's weird, cause it looked like you." She spoke again and played the stethoscope in her ears. "Have you got a brother?" It was then that Sky looked away, don't at her hands, but the Doctor noticed and outstretched a hand and laid it on top of hers.

"No, not any more. Just me." Feeling the warmth of his hand,casks shook the feeling off and destructed herself by watching the students. Half of them looked close to dozing off, the other half looked so interested they were most likely faking enthusiasm...where as this girl...

"As time passes and I grow ever more infirm and weary, Miss Jones." The older man stood tall at the end of the bed rolled his eyes for about the fifth time since he'd been stood there and looked down at Miss Jones impatiently. She watched the Doctor for another moment however, before nodding and starting her work or...studies should it be?

"Sorry. Right." She placed the cold metal surface of the stethoscope to the Doctors chest...and both Time Lords waited with a smirk. It didn't take long for them to be satisfied either as the girl pulled her hand back sharply from hearing the four simultaneous beats, and moved to the other side of his chest. From the look on her face when she stared at the Doctor, she'd found heart number two.

"I weep for future generations." Miss Jones took a further step back as the Doctor winked at her and Sky continued to smile. "Are you having trouble locating the heart, Miss Jones?"

"Er, I don't know." She turned with a shrug to look at her supervisor, letting the previous event roll off her. At least she didn't let it show as she stood back up straight. "Stomach cramps?"

"That is a symptom, not a diagnosis. And you rather failed basic techniques by not consulting first with the patient's chart." He walked a few steps and picked up the chart which was hanging off the end of the bed. But within seconds it was dropped down onto the multiple blankets covering the bed...and the Doctor for that matter, as an electric shock struck him from the metal clip on the board.

"That happened to me this morning." Miss Jones said with a frown, looking at the man who soothed his hand.

"I had the same thing on the door handle."

"And me, on the lift." A couple of the other students joined in, the Doctor and Sky's eyes moving to each of them in turn. Strange, they both thought. But nothing looked out of the ordinary yet, especially not them, they were just students. It was probably just the storm outside.

"That's only to be expected." Just as Sky suspected, cause of the storm. "There's a thunderstorm moving in and lightning is a form of static electricity, as was first proven by...Anyone?"

"Benjamin Franklin." The Doctor spoke up.

"Correct." The man replied, although somewhat hesitantly.

"My mate, Ben." The Doctor didn't notice, but those words were all it took for Sky to whip her head around towards him. "That was a day and a half. I got rope burns off that kite, and then I got soaked..." He wasn't serious? She would have hit him across the head had there not been more than half a dozen pairs of eyes on them.

"Quite." The older man looked towards Sky, who could only force a chuckle and smile at her 'husbands' behaviour.

"And then I got electrocuted." Oh she did wish he would shut up. Yet he seemed surprised to be receiving on looks when he concluded his story with a smile.

"He's..." Sky's mouth open and shut a few times, voice unable to produce the right words, before she looked from the Doctor to the...doctors and then the boss man. "Becoming delusional..."

"Not to worry Mrs Smith." That was all he said before he turned to lead the students off to their next case study. "Moving on." As Sky got up to replace the curtain, she caught the eye of the young girl who was grinning over her shoulder towards herself and the Doctor. They both returned the gesture before the curtain was replaced and the woman spun to glare at Theta.

"What did I say to you yesterday about being subtle!?" He didn't answer...just sent her that cheeky and teasing grin. He was so annoying. "Just...shush." They both ended up laughing and she went to take a seat again. "How long do you reckon we'll be here?"

"A few more days."

"Days!" Sky exclaimed. Hours would have been the preferred answers, but days! If they were still here tomorrow she feared Kit might actually come and kill them both while they slept.

"It depends, those plasma coils are still there and yet nothing is showing up." As she slumped back onto the chair, the Doctor fell back onto the pillows and rested his hands behind his head.

"I don't know if I can deal with sitting here any longer."

"Hey! You're meant to be looking after me." His head turned to look at her, smirking cheekily at her out the corner of his eyes.

"You're fine!" Sky couldn't stop her jaw from dropping. "Even if you were sick you wouldn't be staying in bed. You were always the one to think running around in the rain and dirt was a good cure." It was true, she'd put Lupa to bed, turn her back for two seconds and Theta would have the girl running around the gardens with him. Oh it was all fun and games for an hour or two until she'd be even sicker and moaning in Sky's arms.

"It was more fun." It was a snide comment and it shut Sky up...at least for a few seconds as she let her eyes roll around the room. From her seat, there was a small gap in the curtains which she could see the window through. The early morning sunlight was flooding in...as well as the sight of rain. Only in England could it be glorious sunshine and torrential rain. "It's really starting to come down out there." Sky spoke absentmindedly.

"Well it is a storm." The Doctor was fidgeting wildly under the blankets again.

"No like really..." A strike of lightening filled the silence left as Sky trailed of and stood slowly from her seat. Walking to the end of the bed, the Doctors eyes watched her closely and he frowned when she pushed the curtain open slightly to walk over to the window.

"Sky?" He called after her, but her thoughts were somewhere else. As she approached the window, her steps slowed and her eyes widened as they gazed down at the streets of London City. No one else seemed to have noticed yet, but the storm was in one very specific spot right over the hospital...and the rain...the rain was going up.

She turned as soon as her brain registered the details of something finally happening and the thought of them not having to spend another day in this hospital made her moved just that bit quicker. "Get dressed!" Sky barely glanced at the Doctor as she ran past his bed and out of the ward down the corridors. She needed to find Kit, she didn't know where they were going but it wasn't just going to be Edinburgh this time. The sound of the Doctor calling after her lasted a few seconds but then faded as she turned down a more narrow and darker hallway. This was where she had last spoken to Kit barely an hour ago, so he couldn't be far away but she stopped at the sound of voices and looked into a small staff room. Inside, there was that Miss Jones girl, stood talking on the phone and it didn't take long for her to spot Sky as the girls face crumpled in confusion. But there was no Kit, so Sky carried on down the corridor.

Sky didn't get far however, as a couple of meters down in a more secluded area with less people around, the ground suddenly shook violently. More violently that the TARDIS did even under her direction. She was sent to the ground, less elegantly than she would like to admit but luckily she managed to catch herself with her arms so no damage was done. There was a long scratch down her upper right arm from catching the edge of a radiator on the way down, but it was just a graze. The quakes continued for a few moments, the screams of doctors and patients started to sound but then it calmed quickly. Almost too quickly and it was far too quiet for her liking.

When everything was steady, Sky pulled herself to her feet and dusted herself off become continuing on her way. There was an opening to a main corridor and as she stepped out, she finally saw the damage. People littered the floor where they had fell and doctors crowded around them.

"Sky?" Ah. Seemed like he was also looking for her.

"There you are!" Looking to her left where the call had come from, she smiled as she saw Kit walking towards her with a brisk pace. "I've been looking for you, we might have a problem."

"Yeah, we're on the Moon." Kit stood in front of her, looking down into her eyes from where he towered over her by four or five inches. Their eyes bore into each other for a few seconds too long and he saw the cogs in her head turning.

"...excuse me?" With an exaggerated sigh, Kit gestured towards the glass doors in the middle of the corridor just a little down from where they were.

"There was that earthquake...thing and then it was night." Sky started to walk away from him and he explained, but he followed and watched her carefully as she got closer and closer to the small windows in the door. "Look outside..." His voice was a breathless whisper as he stood behind her. "That's the Moon...isn't it?"

"Yep...that's the Moon alright." Outside, well he was right it was technically night time in the sense that it was dark. The only light being given off the Earth, the Earth she was currently looking at. She could see the atmosphere and the clouds and the...oh god her TARDIS. To Kit however, it looked to real to be true if that made sense. Like a movie, it was all just CGI or a very...very detailed backdrop. But he knew better than that, especially now he knew Sky, this was real. They were on the moon.

"How?" Kit looked at Sky's reflection in the glass for a brief moment before returning his eyes to the uneven grey, rocky surface of the Moon. "I mean, I saw the rain, that was freaky enough but..."

"I don't know, well, someone scooped us up." She looked around her and then turned to look over her shoulder at Kit. "The question is, who was it and why?"

"How can we breath?" One thing she had come to realise was that he loved asking questions, too much sometimes. "I mean, I thought your head was meant to explode when you went into Space." Lovely.

"Ever the poet Kit." Sky sighed, but found herself chuckling lightly. "But yes, we can breath. So whatever brought us here wants us alive. That's one positive at least." Reaching behind her, Sky's hand found the handle to the door which led out onto a small veranda outside. Kit saw the cheeky glint in her eyes before he saw what he was doing and his face fell into a look of worry and panic.

"Whoa! What are you doing?" He leapt forward and surrounded her hand with his own to stop her. "Won't the air just...what if we get sucked out?"

"You really need to stop watching those sci-fi films." With her other hand, she removed Kit's hand from her own and then took a deep breath and pushed the door open. She saw the look of hesitation pass over Kit's face, but that soon passed when the door was cracked open and they remained able to breathe. "Told you." She quipped and took another few steps forward, pushing the door wide open so they could both step outside.

"That's impossible."

"But here you are." Sky smiled wide at him after shutting the door behind her. "Kit Avery, on the Moon." She walked over to the short wall on the left side of the veranda and leant on it beside Kit as they both looked out onto the Moon's horizon. "Like it?"

"It would be more beautiful if you knew why we're were here."

"Yeah, well I'm working on that." Behind them, the doors rattled and Sky quickly put her finger on her lips to shush Kit after she saw the Doctor stood behind the door. Where they stood, he probably wouldn't even realise they were there and she was always a one to take the opportunity to surprise him.

"We've got air. How does that work?" He had someone with him, the Jones girl, Sky recognised her as soon and she and the Doctor stepped out and the two of them took in a deep breath of the air.

"Just be glad it does." She saw Kit laughing silently and had to try not to laugh herself, in such a serious situation she should have been acting more mature. But honestly, Theta could be so clueless sometimes. Before she ruined it by laughing out loud, Sky thought it best to let their presence known. She didn't want to scare the girl to death either should she spot them first.

"Nice of you to join us." The Doctor's head turned first, closely followed by Miss Jones's. But while the Doctor's face broke out in a grin, the girl looked confused before smiling small at the two of them. An understandable reaction given the current circumstance.

"There you are!" The Doctor grinned, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "You ran out pretty quick."

"I knew out the two of you, you would be the least surprised about showing up on God knows what planet." An eyebrow was quirked towards him cheekily, and he seemed to find it amusing, but then the female Time Lord's gaze rested on Miss Jones and she smiled brightly. "Nice to meet you..."

"Martha." She replied and nervously looked at Sky and Kit. But when they both smiled her way and Sky walked out to stand by the Doctor's side, she seemed to relax a little. Her posture becoming less still and settling her guard. "I've got a party tonight. It's my brother's twenty first." Her comfort was expressed in the way she talked, but Kit seemed to be the only one to catch the sadness building in her eyes. "My mother's going to be really, really..."

"You okay?" He asked as Sky and The Doctor seemed to be talking amongst themselves in quiet whispers.

"Yeah." Martha answered quickly as the only other human amongst the four of them came to stand by her side.

"Sure?"

"Yeah." The girl repeated with a small smile.

"We can go back in?" Kit suggested and looked back through the doors from where they had came from. But he could see from here that inside looked like a worse place to be, people were screaming and panicking. At least out here they had the option to just...get to terms with it all.

"No way." Suddenly shaking her head, Martha looked up at Kit and smiled for the first time. "I mean, we could die any minute, but all the same, it's beautiful."

"Do you think?" The voice that interrupted them was the Doctor's. Both humans looked forward and caught his smirk, as well as the way his arm had come to rest around Sky's waist, hand resting on her hip.

"How many people want to go to the moon? And here we are." Yes they certainly were. Sky was smiling, quite widely in fact, due to some of the things Theta had been whispering into her ear. Nothing like that! Sweet things. It wasn't everyday you found yourself standing and looking at the Earth like this and as odd as it sounded, it was strangely romantic. Martha was right when she said it was beautiful.

"Standing in the Earthlight." The Doctor hummed and turned back to Sky. She felt his hand relax around her waist and if soon drifted back to rest at his side, leaving Sky able to turn and face Martha herself.

"What do you think happened?" The young woman looked to the seemingly slightly older one with a frown of wonder.

"What do you think?" Sky returned Martha's question as an answer and smiled. The woman started to think, eyes rolling to the top of her head.

"Extraterrestrial. It's got to be." Her head was shaking back and forth, confident of her answer. "I don't know, a few years ago that would have sounded mad, but these days? That spaceship flying into Big Ben, Christmas, those Cybermen things. I had a cousin. Adeola. She worked at Canary Wharf. She never came home." Sky smiled at her sadly as the Doctor turned to join them all. Martha's face fell and there was only one thing they could really say to provide some comfort.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor was the one to say it.

"Yeah." A small silence fell over them. There they were on the moon and even an awkward silence still managed to exist.

"We were there, in the battle." Sky said, just in an attempt to do...well something other than wallow.

"Yeah? Well I promise you, Mr and Mrs Smith, you too." Martha smile and patted Kit's arm. "We will find a way out. If we can travel to the moon, then we can travel back...There's got to be a way."

"It's not Smith." The Doctor spoke sternly as he walked across the veranda in search of something or other. "That's not our real name."

"Who are you, then?" Martha's eyes followed him with a frown, as did Sky. What was he looking for? He seemed to be focused all of a sudden which meant one thing, some sort of plan was forming.

"I'm Sky." She spoke however, frown turning to a smile as Martha looked to her.

"The Sky." The Doctor mumbled as he turned to look out at the Moon again. "You know you're meant to introduce yourself formally the first time." Even though he wasn't looking at her, Sky could see the hint of a smirk in the corner of his lips.

"The Sky?" The girl questioned with a squint.

"I know, I know. This is Kit Avery." Sky rolled her eyes, glaring at Kit for a long moment as he chuckled under his breath. "And really, just Sky, please."

"I'm the Doctor." He was next to speak as he walked back to them, something hidden in the palm of his hand and stood between Sky and Martha.

"Me too, if I can pass my exams." She smiled back at him. "What is it then, Doctor Smith?"

"Just the Doctor."

"How do you mean, just the Doctor?" This seemed to confuse her more than 'The Sky', which was good. Normally she was the one with the weirdest title.

"Just the Doctor." Theta looked at Martha in confusion and shook his head.

"What, people call you the Doctor?"

"Yeah." The only thing Sky could do was chuckle at how stuck he looked in that moment. He never did understand why people thought it was so strange. At least Sky tried to casual it down a bit.

"Well, I'm not. As far as I'm concerned, you've got to earn that title." Oh Sky like this one, they hadn't known her long but she already seemed the type to put someone in their place.

"Well, I'd better make a start, then." The Doctor looked at Martha in almost shock. "Let's have a look. There must be some sort of..." He threw whatever he had been hiding in his hand, in the air and caught it. Then, after a run up, he threw it out and away from the hospital. It got a good distance away before bouncing off something, causing a blue metallic light to show itself as part of dome shape.

"Forcefield keeping the air in."

"But if that's like a bubble sealing us in, that means this is the only air we've got." Kit said and then caught Sky's eyes, a question lurking behind his own. "What happens when it runs out?

"How many people in this hospital?" The Doctor asked Martha, she was after all the only one that would truly know. Sky doubted Kit payed that much attention as a porter.

"I don't know. A thousand?"

"One thousand people Suffocating." Speaking through clenched teeth, the Doctor looked up and over all the visible walls of the hospital.

"Why would anyone do that?" Before any of them could give Martha an answer, the rumbling sound of engine sounded above them.

"Head's up! Ask them yourself." There wasn't just one. Three gigantic spaceships shaped like cylinders passed right over their head and all four sets of eyes followed them. But as they landed nearby, Sky got a very very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. That feeling grew and the colour drained from her face when the army of troops came marching out of all of them.

"Aliens. That's aliens. Real, proper aliens." Martha was smiling but Sky, and the Doctor for that matter, could not have looked less enthusiastic.

"Judoon." Uh oh.


	31. Smith and Jones Part 2

This was not good...this was not good at all. They couldn't be after her could they? Nah...the plasma coils wouldn't have been around the hospital first, but what if that wasn't them? Everything in Sky's head was scrambling the more she began to think and panic. This was not good.

"You alright?" She wouldn't have heard him, not even a little bit, had it not been for The Doctor stepping in front of her and blocking her path. They were currently walking the corridors, following Martha's lead to the main entrance of the hospital where the Judoon were flooding in.

"What?" Sky looked up startled, meeting his eyes with a wide and dazed expression. To be fair to herself she hadn't been hiding her worry well. The colour of her face matched the plain white walls of the hospital and she had barely uttered a word since they left the veranda.

"You seem a bit..." The Doctor ran his eyes over her slowly. "You okay?" She knew she wouldn't be able to hide it from him. She could delay him realising though, so Sky plastered on a smile and took his hand to start dragging him down the hallway again.

"Yeah, course. Why wouldn't I be?" They soon caught up to Kit and Martha again, but they had reached their desired spot as there were a mezzanine level which looked over the enters nice as well as the waiting area. Most of the people were tethered in this spot but none of it calmed Sky. They were scanning people and if she'd heard correctly, the Judoon were going to scan every suspect. She was doomed. The plant the four of them were hiding behind wasn't a good disguise either.

"Oh, look down there, you've got a little shop. I like a little shop." Was he even paying attention?

"Never mind that. What are Judoon?" Martha was obviously thinking the same as Sky as both women turned to watch him unbelievably.

"They're like police." Sky started to explain to her, seeing at he was too distracted. "Well, police for hire. They're more like interplanetary thugs." A look of distaste come over her face in an instant, her tongue sticking out as if tasting rotten fruit.

"They're the ones that brought us to the moon?" Kit asked from her right. Sky was sandwiched between him and the Doctor whereas Martha crouched on the left of the Doctor.

"Neutral territory." Speaking of the a Doctor, he finally decided to share his knowledge. "According to galactic law, they've got no jurisdiction over the Earth, and they isolated it. That rain, lightning? That was them, using an H2O scoop." She knew it was an H2O scoop! So she was still good at something. That was something she'd noticed though, ever since joining the Doctor, Sky had felt less pathetic. Okay, maybe pathetic wasn't the word. But she felt more capable.

"What are you on about, galactic law? Where'd you get that from?" Martha frowned, looking back down to the Judoon. "If they're police, are we under arrest? Are we trespassing on the moon or something?"

"No, but I like that. Good thinking." The Doctor looked at Martha with...something. He liked her too, she could see it in his eyes. Not that Sky was surprised, the student was a bright spark and she had something about her. "No, I wish it were that simple. They're making a catalogue. That means they're after something non human, which is very bad news for me...and Sky." Especially for Sky. If only he knew how especially.

"Why?" All three of them, Sky, Kit and the Doctor turned to look at her. "Oh, you're kidding me. Don't be ridiculous." Kit started to smile but the two Time Lords stayed serious. "Stop looking at me like that."

"Come on then."the Doctor stood, taking Sky's hand again and dragging her with him. But !artha and Kit lagged behind, the girl open jawed.

"Don't worry, you get used to it...I hope." Kit said as he looked after the two and frowned. Then however, he looked down at Martha and nodded for her to follow. "Come on."

For some reason, the Doctor had dragged the them to an admin office somewhere within the hospital. Well, Sky said them, it was she who he had dragged down the hall at his fast pace.

But now he was sat at a computer scanning it with the sonic screwdriver, while Sky sat in a chair off to his side. Martha and Kit were keeping watch by the windows and occasionally wondering the corridors, after all if the Judoon scanned them they would just be marked as innocent and left alone.

"They've reached third floor." Martha was the first to enter the room, Kit following close behind. "What's that thing?" Gesturing towards the sonic probe in the Doctor's hand, he didn't even stop working for a second as he answered.

"Sonic screwdriver."

"Well, if you're not going to answer me properly." Martha rolled her eyes, coming to stand behind the Doctor.

"No, really, it is. It's a screwdriver, and it's sonic. Look." He stopped and held it up for her to see for a second and then focused on the computer again. But he was getting now where, they're be better off sorting through the thousands of paper records.

"What else have you got, a laser spanner?"

"I did, but it was stolen by Emily Pankhurst, cheeky woman." That was a story for another time. Sky made a mental note as frustration came over the Doctor's face and he gave the desktop a bang. "Oh, this computer!" Sky leant back a bit as he buried a hand in his hair. "The Judoon must have locked it down. Judoon platoon upon the moon." Sky looked up at him strangely just before the Doctor started speaking to Martha hurriedly. "Because we were just travelling past. I swear, we were just wandering." He started flicking through the files in the system but they were all either empty of blocked. "We weren't looking for trouble, honestly, we weren't, but I noticed these plasma coils around the hospital, and that lightning, that's a plasma coil. Been building up for two days now, so I checked in. I thought something was going on inside. It turns out the plasma coils were the Judoon up above."

"But what were they looking for?" Kit asked from the window where he kept a look out for any unwanted visitors.

"Something that looks human, but isn't."

"Like you two, apparently." Smiling, Martha looked between the two Time Lords. But Sky could still see that she still didn't believe them.

"Like us. But not us." Well...Sky's face twisted visibly again. It was sort of her...but he didn't need to know that yet. Just keep him focusing on this shape changer the Judoon were apparently after and keep feeling relief at the fact they weren't here for her. They could just hand the...thing over and the Rhino faced freaks could be on their merry way. Hopefully.

"Haven't they got a photo?"

"Well, might be a shape-changer." The Doctor answered but not before giving Sky another eye over. Something was up with her, he knew it. She was always rubbish at hiding things and it seemed this regeneration still hadn't learnt how to hide things well from him. Not that he wanted her to learn, he just always found it amusing when she was surprised he noticed the problem. But the woman was an open book, her face said it all.

"Whatever it is, can't you just leave the Judoon to find it?" Kit suggested easily, but unfortunately it wasn't that easy. Especially if they would fail in finding whatever they wanted.

"If they declare the hospital guilty of harbouring a fugitive, they'll sentence it to execution." Sky looked to him with a deep frown and her eyes stared passed him, out into the hallway. Execution...why was it always execution? Robbery, execution. Manslaughter, execution. Breaking and entering, execution.

"All of us?" He returned, pulling her out of her daze.

"Oh yes." Answering for her, the Doctor spoke up loudly as he continued to flick through random records. "If I can find this thing first. Oh! You see, they're thick! Judoon are thick! They are completely thick! They wiped the records. Oh, that's clever." All of the open windows on the computer screen started to disappear one by one until the screen went blank, replaced with a blocked screen saver.

"What are we looking for?" As she spoke, Martha shook her head softly and took a few steps back towards the door.

"I don't know. Say, any patient admitted in the past week with unusual symptoms."

"They must have a back-up." Sky muttered and stood to push the Doctor over a little to peer at the computer, picking it up in her hands and looking at the back of it.

"Just keep working." Martha nodded at them as Sky took the sonic screw driver out of the Doctor's hand and began to spark some of the wires. "I'll go ask Mister Stoker. He might know."

"I'll come with you." Kit nodded to her, glancing back towards the two aliens with his hand on the handle to the door. Martha simply smiled at him and together they left, closing the door behind them and letting the room fall silent as mainly Sky worked.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" The Doctor watched what she was doing with a confused yet overall impressed look. Some of the wires sparked when she needed them to and slowly, the desktop started to come back to life.

"From you." She answered simply. "You don't remember? That time you took me to Florana?" His stare was blank.

"No.." She paused to frown at him, turning away from the computer and looking a bit taken back. If there was one adventure he would remember she thought it would be that one, for quite a big reason.

"We had to hijack some system thing when those Sultanas-"

"Sontarans." The Doctor corrected her but she didn't even stop to take a breath, carrying on with her story. It didn't matter how many times he told her their proper name, the information just failed to go in and stay in.

"-threatened to attack..." When she trailed off, to see if he had caught on yet, the Doctor started to shake his head negatively. "They took me hostage..." Still nothing. Suddenly anger appeared on Sky's face and she dropped her hands to her side. "They shot me, I regenerated for the first time, and I went home with a different face!"

"Oh yeah." His face become the opposite to Sky's as he smiled wide...then it followed suit and fell. "Your mother wouldn't let me see you for six months after that." He remembered it somewhat well. One of their first adventures together. That was the first time she'd ever really been truly angry with him too, before their bonding.

"Cause I told her too." Of course he'd felt awful for causing her to regenerate for the first time, that didn't take away from the fact he still did it. "Ah there we are."

"Ahh you..." A wide smile covered Sky's mouth. She could still do a few little things successfully. Maybe that was just cause the Doctor was there though, she'd have never have thought of that if she was on her own. As for the Doctor, he looked at her for a long while as the records started reappearing in front of their eyes. She was brilliant.

Before she knew what was happening, The Doctor stood, pulling Sky up with him. She went to ask what he was doing but she was cut off by him forcefully kissing her. It was already a surprise but then when he dipped her back backwards, she let out a small squeak and held the lapels of his suit jacket. It had come from no where...at least she thought it had. Maybe she'd missed something.

It was passionate, very filled with...something. She couldn't put her finger on it and Sky didn't really didn't really want to think about it anymore. Letting herself fully give into the kiss, her arms circled his neck as on of Theta's hands came to rest on her hip, the other on the small of her back.

It didn't last for long however and after pulling Sky back up and setting her firmly on her feet, the Doctor grinned at her and ran towards the door.

"Come on, we have to go find Martha." By the time Sky's eyes returned to a normal size, he was already gone and she was stood there looking around the empty and silent room.

"Right..." Her breaths were uneven. A hand raised to her hair to flatten it out as her lips parted and shut rapidly. "Right." Finally gathering her wits, she briskly walked towards the door and ran once she was out in the corridor to catch up with the Doctor.

She was a quick runner so I'd didn't take long for her to catch up. However, only seconds later, they bumped into Martha and Kit who had been on their way back to the admin room to find them.

"Sky restored the back-up." The Doctor informed them, shouting over the still screaming people who were attempting to run and hide from the stomping Judoon. Sky didn't blame them though, she was fighting the urge to do the exact same thing.

"We found her." Martha shouted back.

"You did what?" There was a crash and following Kit's gaze down the hall, they all saw what he looked so worried about. A man looking fit for a ride on a motorbike broke down a door further down the corridor and looked around himself before spotting the small group.

"Run!" Sky didn't have to be told twice as she felt the Doctor push her lightly ahead of him to lead the way. The Doctor lead Martha for a little before leaving it to Kit to make sure the girl kept up with them. And then they ran. There was nothing she hated more than this, the tight feeling growing in her chest the longer and fast Sky pushed her body to move and it didn't help when she decided to lead them into a stairwell.

Her legs moved fast, almost stumbling a few times, down one flight of stairs. She would have went further but the group of Judoon soldiers marching up from the floor below soon made her audibly squirm and divert them all to run out onto the corridor. That damn leather clad, faceless thing chasing them didn't let up though and they were forced to head into the more dispersed parts of the hospital.

"Here." The Doctor reached out and stopped Sky from running, instead pushing her down one of the narrow corridors coming off the main one. They were leading to a dead end, but just before Sky could alert him on that fact he led them into a room. Radiology.

"Quick." Sky said and waited for Kit to get through the door before slamming in shut and using her sonic to seal the door. Then, as the Doctor started to work on the X-Ray, Sky ushered Martha and Kit behind the radiation screen.

"When I say now, press the button." He yelled and aimed the machine towards the door where the leather man was starting to break through, and quite quickly too.

"Which one is it?!" Sky yelled back at him, but he didn't answer so instead she turned to Martha with a raised eyebrow, directing the same question at her.

"I don't know." The girl shrugged, looking panic stricken. They had one last chance with Kit but that was a long shot if the real doctor amongst them didn't even know and Sky's doubt was confirmed when the boy shook his head.

"Then find out!" The scream from the other side of the glass cause Martha to jump before running over to the shelf of books in the corner of the room. A users manual. Well that was certainly handy. But the man outside was close to knocking the door off its hinges. Sky looked to Martha and hope but she was aimlessly flicking through the pages,came they were out of time and the door fell to the floor. "Now!"

Taking the initiative, Martha hit the biggest button she could see and instantly the X-Ray practically exploded. The blast knocked the leather-clad man back a few steps before he stopped quivering where he stood and fell down face first.

"What did you do?" Martha shouted after turning the machine off.

"Increased the radiation by five thousand per cent. Killed him dead." Sky was the first to walk out, already knowing there was risk to her and stood over the slab.

"But isn't that going to kill you?"

"Nah, it's only roentgen radiation. We used to play with roentgen bricks in the nursery. It's safe for you to come out. I've absorbed it all." Slowly, the two humans walked out from the room which had been protecting them and both went over to inspect the slab. At least they did until the doctor decided to make a scene. "All I need to do is expel it. If I concentrate I can shake the radiation out of my body and into one spot. It's in my left shoe. Here we go, here we go. Easy does it. Out, out, out, out, out. Out, out. Ah, ah, ah, ah! Itches, itches, itches, hot, hot. Hold on." As he hopped around on one foot, Sky swore that every regeneration he went through caused him to loose a few more of his sanity cells. But in the end, after a lot of dramatisation and even more jumping around, the Doctor ripped off his shoes and dropped it into the yellow refuge bin. "Done."

"You're completely mad." Martha was the one to say what they were all thinking.

"You've only just noticed?" Sky raised an eyebrow but never took her eyes off the Doctor as he smiled back at Martha, paying no attention to her remark.

"You're right. I look daft with one shoe." Without wasting another moment, the Doctor took his other shoe and let it join the other in the bin. "Barefoot on the moon." Yep, he was definitely loosing it.

"So what is that thing?" Kit asked, breaking the long silence in which both he and Martha just sent strange looks to the Doctor. Sky had unfortunately grown used to it, and even with such a long break from him, he hadn't changed that much.

Martha was the next to speak up and crouched down next to the dead figure. "And where's it from, the planet Zovirax?"

"It's just a Slab." The Doctor explained and walked over to join her. "They're called Slabs. Basic slave drones. See? Solid leather, all the way through." He hit the arm of the slab and the solid padded sound proved his point. "Someone has got one hell of a fetish."

"But it was that woman, Miss Finnegan." Martha's eyes followed the Doctor who walked back over to the machine. "It was working for her, just like a servant." But he wasn't listening, for the hissing of burnt metal and the singed Sonic Screwdriver in his hands was too much of a disastrous distraction.

"My sonic screwdriver." He whined, holding up the device as it smoked, completely fried.

"She was one of the patients, but-"

"Oh, no. My sonic screwdriver." Sky had the feeling this was going to carry on for a while.

"She had a straw like some kind of vampire."

"I loved my sonic screwdriver."

"Doctor?" Martha raised her voice slightly and finally managed to capture his attention, the screwdriver flying to the floor behind him.

"Sorry." Hands behind his back, he swung around to Martha when a smile crossed his face. "You called me Doctor." That she had. She was starting to enjoy it. Sky could see it on the young woman's face, the flicker of life in her eyes beginning to show. It was the same look she's saw so many times in the past.

"Anyway? Miss Finnegan is the alien. She was drinking Mister Stoker's blood." For the first time, Sky truly listened the the girl too. The first time she...well...after that kiss she hadn't really been able to look at him without dozing off a bit into a giggly mood.

"Funny time to take a snack. You'd think she'd be hiding." The Time Lord thought out loud, her eyes glazing over as her mind worked. But the Doctor got there quicker than her as he looked at her and raised his eyebrows. Slowly realisation hit them both.

"Unless. No. Yes, that's it. Wait a minute." Burying his hand in his hair as he thought, the Doctor's mind worked rapidly. Whereas Sky's nerves got the better of her and she looked out to the corridor after hearing the stomping of leather faintly. "Yes! Shape-changer. Internal shape-changer. She wasn't drinking blood, she was assimilating it."

"If she can assimilate his blood, mimic the biology, she'll register as human." Sky continued on for him, coming back to him.

"Exactly...We've got to find her and show the Judoon. Come on!" The Doctor led the way this time as they started to run again. But they didn't get as far this time since Sky had been right about hearing leather walking but it wasn't the Judoon. Instead it was another Slab and it was looking for them. They were forced to dodge down a small doorway, hiding behind a water cooler.

"That's the thing about Slabs." The Doctor groaned after it walked passed, totally oblivious to their existence. "They always travel in pairs."

"What about you?" Martha looked at Sky before moving her eyes to the Doctor briefly, then back to Sky.

"What about me what?" Sky tried to smile back but it didn't come across very honestly, sensing what the girl was going to ask.

"Here you two are together. Don't you always travel as a pair?" Slightly awkward and Sky felt the Doctor tense as he was obviously listening. "Or don't you have any other back-up?" There it was, the question Sky was always dreading. She didn't like answering it yet, in any shape or form. It might have been stupid, especially seeing as how easy the Doctor seemed to handle it but...she just didn't want to admit there was no one else out there yet. He must have felt the hesitation in her head, because Theta was the next to speak.

"Oh. Humans." He scoffed but struggled to comfortably direct Martha away from her question without answering it. "We're stuck on the moon running out of air with Judoon and a bloodsucking criminal, you're asking personal questions? Come on." Taking Sky's hand the Doctor stepped out first but pushed her ahead of him so he could turn to help Martha up from the floor.

"I like that. Humans." The girl scoffed lightly, smiling. "I'm still not convinced you're an alien." Sky laughed lightly then turned around. But her face turned lily white and she jumped back in shock when she came face to face with a Judoon, scanner already raised and alight as it scanned her.

"Non-human."

"Oh my God, you really are." Faintly, Martha's voice reached her eyes. But Sky's non-human confirmation was soon going to be the least of their worries.

"Wait. Non-human identified. Confirm. Time Lord." Sky felt the Doctor come to stand close to her left side, semi behind her as he watched the interaction between his bonded and the Judoon. Something was wrong.

"Well I'm glad we've established th-" He could tell by the way Sky held herself and the way she tried to talk her way out of it, more was coming. Slowly running his eyes all the way from her face to her feet, the Doctor tried to work out what she was hiding. But she even hid it from him in her mind as he tried to enter her thoughts through their bond. Sealing the information behind that tiny door she almost never used with him. Whereas Sky, her lighthearted comment was ignored by the Judoon as they carried on with their accusation. Causing her forced smile to melt into a look of defeat.

"Wait. Time Lord, charged with the crime of murdering soldier 2276 of troop 3 of the Judoon race." There is was...if only that was it. Sky couldn't bare to look at the Doctor as her charge was spoken out. But his reaction took about 3 seconds to show itself.

"What?" His voice was quiet at first, as if he couldn't truly believe it. Pupils moving from the Judoon to study his bonded again, fiercer this time. Not angrily, but...what had she done? He didn't know what to do when the Judoon proved they weren't finished however, and read out the next.

"Charged with the crime of breaking and entering the sixth council hall of the Shadow Proclamation." The head Judoon of the fleet rumbled.

"What?" The Shadow Proclamation? They weren't ones to easily show mercy. That was the exact reason his face straightened from shock to concern and instead of watching Sky, he watched the Judoon with fear showing faintly in his eyes.

"I knew there was something I forget to tell you." Sky's eyes focused mainly on the floor as she muttered to him finally from under her breath. She was trying to be funny but she doubted she would get any kind of positive reaction from anyone.

"Charged with the crime of theft from Judge Estella Quarta, councillor of the Shadow Proclamation."

"What did you do?" Now he sounded angry, just slightly so. In fact, Sky would go as far as to say that if the Judoon didn't kill her right then and there, the Doctor would for her being so stupid. But as the Judoon went to read there verdict, she took a deep breath and prepared to leg it out of there.

"Verdict for all crimes, guilty. Sentence, execution."


End file.
